


The Goldenrod Revisions

by aethylas



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Episode Fix-It: s15e19 Inherit the Earth, Episode Fix-It: s15e20 Carry On, Episode: s15e19 Inherit the Earth, Episode: s15e20 Carry On, F/M, Fix-It, M/M, Multi, Post-Episode: s15e18 Despair, Screenplay/Script Format, Season/Series 15, Season/Series 15 Spoilers, Slow Burn, Team Free Will 2.0 (Supernatural)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:34:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 66,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28559880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aethylas/pseuds/aethylas
Summary: A rewrite of Supernatural’s final two episodes, expanded into a five episode arc - in which Chuck needs to be defeated, Castiel deserves to be saved, and the characters in this story get a very different ending.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester, Michael/Adam Milligan (implied)
Comments: 503
Kudos: 697





	1. 15.19 - Turn the Page

**Author's Note:**

> I am not immune to Supernatural Finale BrainRotTM. Alternatively: I watched fifteen seasons of Supernatural over the course of twelve years and tried to rewrite 15.19-15.20 into ending that made sense to me. This is the extremely self-indulgent, overly-bookending, finale-subtweeting result.
> 
> I have no prior experience with screenwriting and I based the format of this script on the SPN shooting scripts that are available online. It might be slightly less easy to read than a spec script, but I wanted to get the same sort of feeling I got from the collection of shooting scripts that are available online. I have aimed for realism in certain places (overabundance of camera directions) and erased it in others (SPN has the budget for Zeppelin now!). Hopefully I've landed on something relatively realistic and readable.
> 
> Thank you to [callenofthenorth](https://callenofthenorth.tumblr.com/) and [badritual](https://archiveofourown.org/users/badritual/) for beta-ing!

## 

  


SUPERNATURAL

EPISODE #1519

“Turn the Page”

  


TEASER

FADE IN:

1

STOCK FOOTAGE MONTAGE

We see various wide shots of world cities, accompanied by COMPLETE SILENCE. New York’s Times Square empty. Large train stations without a soul in sight. An empty children’s playground. A beach populated only by towels and umbrellas.

BIRD’S EYE STREET VIEW straight down on a BANKED-UP HIGHWAY. Cars abandoned mid-traffic jam. Match cut to--

2

EXT. EILEEN’S CAR – HIGHWAY – DAY

A RED CAR moving across a (relatively empty) highway. A few vehicles around it have crashed into each other. 

WIDE SHOT. It’s EILEEN’S 1971 PLYMOUTH VALIANT, with SAM WINCHESTER and JACK KLINE inside. We follow the car as it zooms along the road.

Audio fades in-- static on a car radio.

3

INT. EILEEN’S CAR – HIGHWAY – DAY

ON SAM-- an echo of his father-- his face is grim, HANDS CLENCHED TIGHT around the wheel of the car.

Jack eyes him nervously. He reaches for the RADIO DIAL--

SAM

Won’t get anything out here.

Jack pauses, hesitant. Like he’s trying not to spook a horse. Eyes go up to Sam, then back to the road. He lowers his arm, leans back in his seat.

JACK

Are our phones out of range, too?

SAM 

(tight)

No. My calls went through. He’s just not picking up.

Jack knows better than to ask why Dean might not be picking up.

JACK

Why would Billie do this, Sam?

Sam is almost clinically detached as he speaks.

SAM

I don’t know, Jack. I don’t know why we escaped it, either. Maybe it’s something to do with you. But Dean-- Billie’s never liked Dean. Thinks he cheats death too often, or something.

(composure slipping)

We shouldn’t have left him.

JACK

(utterly certain)

Cas wouldn’t let him die.

SAM

Maybe Cas didn’t get a choice.

On that grim note, Jack turns to look out the side window.

In the SIDE MIRROR, we (and Jack) see a crashed vehicle behind Eileen’s car ON FIRE. 

Back to Jack and Sam. Jack seems to debate internally before--

JACK

Sam, there is... something.

SAM

Something? Something like what?

JACK

What you said about Billie, about how maybe she couldn’t touch us because I was here. When I was in the silo... I touched a weed by accident, and it... shriveled up. It died.

SAM

Wait, what? Like-- like Death? Like you’re some sort of reaper?

JACK

I don’t know what it was. I couldn’t control it.

Sam finally looks away from the road to Jack-- but suddenly, a ROCK SONG RINGTONE plays out loudly and breaks the moment. Both of them look down to--

THE PHONE in Jack’s lap, lit up with DEAN WINCHESTER’s name. 

Sam SNATCHES it out of Jack’s lap, and slams the receive button immediately. He holds it up to his ear.

SAM

Dean? Dean??

We see Sam’s face go through a complex series of emotions. First relief, then fear, then a thin veneer of composure.

SAM (CONT’D)

Yeah. Yeah, we’re-- Jack’s here. He’s okay. What about Cas?

Silence. Sam’s mouth tightens again. Back to survival mode.

SAM (CONT’D)

Yeah, we’re on our way.

On Sam, listening to the phone for a beat. Jack looks on from beside him, wide-eyed and desperate for information.

SAM (CONT’D)

No, they’re all gone. Everyone, every single person but us. I can’t believe it.

(a scared younger brother again)

Dean... what are we going to do?

On Sam, listening again... and then, a grim smile.

SAM (CONT’D)

Yeah. We’ll be right there. Three hours, maybe less.

Jack, looking forward, suddenly turns to Sam with alarm. Sam hangs up, THROWS THE PHONE INTO THE BACK SEAT, and abruptly HARD TURNS THE WHEEL--

And the car goes FLYING WILDLY off-road, in order to avoid--

A HUGE STEEL CLUSTERFUCK of crashed and burning vehicles.

3

EXT. EILEEN’S CAR – HIGHWAY – DAY

CAMERA PANS slowly up over the edge of the FLAMING CLUSTERFUCK, and then, over the top of the flames-- we see EILEEN’S CAR, skidding to a halt.

5

INT. EILEEN’S CAR – HIGHWAY – DAY

Sam and Jack breathe deeply, staring at the shitstorm in front of them. Only now fully grasping the extent of what Chuck has done.

JACK

Do we... go around?

SAM

I don’t think we have a choice.

Sam YANKS the gear stick into reverse and BACKS UP EILEEN’S CAR. Then he swings the wheel (and car) around, driving wildly off-road.

6

EXT. EILEEN’S CAR – HIGHWAY – DAY

AERIAL of EILEEN’S CAR. Driving away from the highway full of crashed cars, into a wide field.

BLACKOUT.

END OF TEASER

  


## 

  


ACT ONE

7

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – CROW’S NEST/LIBRARY – NIGHT

Sam and Jack BURST IN THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR. Sam runs three steps at a time down the stairwell of the Bunker, and races across the war room.

As Sam crosses the threshold of the library--

SAM

Dean?

We see Dean, head in hands. Half-empty bottle of whiskey beside him at the table. He looks absolutely wrecked-- red rimmed eyes, the works, but he manages to rise to his feet when he sees his brother.

DEAN

(hoarsely)

Heya, Sammy.

Sam steps forward and hugs his brother tightly (in a shot not dissimilar to the hug in 4.01 LAZARUS RISING).

Dean smiles slightly... and then claps his brother on the back and steps back. He sees Jack off-camera.

DEAN

Hey, kid. Glad to see you’re okay.

We see Jack looking at THE HANDPRINT on Dean’s jacket.

JACK

Dean, what happened to Cas?

Dean looks at Sam, briefly, but Sam is no help-- he wants to know as much as Jack. Dean looks away, unwilling to tell the full truth right now.

DEAN

(slowly)

He... he saved me.

(with more resolve)

Billie was coming after us, and Cas summoned the Empty. It took her... and it took him. Cas is gone.

JACK

I don’t understand.

DEAN

Yeah, well. That makes two of us.

SAM

So, if Chuck was the one who made everyone disappear--

DEAN

Maybe Billie, or the Empty-- maybe they could have stopped him. Maybe we could have made a deal. But I thought it was her. And now... everyone is gone.

JACK

We’ll get them back.

DEAN

(belligerent drunk)

Yeah? What makes you so sure?

JACK

I have faith. Cas taught me faith.

DEAN

In what, God? In case you haven’t noticed, God’s gone full-on Thanos.

JACK

No, not in God. In you.

He clearly means both the Winchesters here, but this still cuts Dean far too close to home. While Dean struggles with his composure--

SAM

He’s right, Dean. We’ve taken on bad guys before.

DEAN

(angrily)

Bad guys, maybe. But God? We’ve got nothing, Sam, no allies--

JACK

We’ve got each other. And Cas--

His voice breaks for the first time, and the Winchesters realize that this loss has affected Jack far more deeply than he’s let on.

JACK (CONT’D)

\--Cas wouldn’t want us to give up.

Dean looks away again. Then, oddly, we get a small smile-- he’s remembered a scene from long ago.

DEAN

You know, back when it was just a regular old apocalypse, Cas was the first one to give up. Said we should just start drinking.

He allows himself a dry chuckle, but there’s no humor in it-- only bitterness.

Meanwhile, Sam is thinking back too-- remembering everything that went down with Michael and Lucifer.

DEAN (CONT’D)

I don’t know if we can do this. But-- you’re right. I won’t let his sacrifice be for nothing.

SAM

(slowly)

What if we just... give Chuck what he wants? You, me, death match. One of us has to die, but he brings everyone back.

DEAN

You think I haven’t--

A beat as Dean pauses, and restrains himself from an outburst.

DEAN (CONT’D)

(carefully controlling the volume of his voice)

You think I didn’t ask? When I realized what he’d done, I begged. I screamed, hell, I prayed to him. On my knees, and everything. Told him I’d give him anything he wanted. Let you kill me. Just as long as--

(a beat again, as he swallows)

Just as long as everyone else got to live.

SAM

What did he say?

DEAN

He didn’t answer. I think he wants to watch. Son of a bitch has the popcorn out. He’s watchin’ us right now, Sam, and he’ll keep watchin’ us-- and anything we think of, any plan we come up with, he’ll know about it and he’ll take it away from us. How do we beat that?

JACK

I have an idea.

SAM

(nonplussed)

You do?

JACK

(simply)

Yes. What makes Dean turn off a television?

Dean and Sam exchange a look. Unsure where this is going.

JACK (CONT’D)

(to Dean)

Dean, what did you say about Dr. Sexy season ten?

DEAN

Uhh... There was too much yappin’, and not enough action. I dunno, it was boring.

JACK

(grinning)

Exactly!

SAM

What, you want us to bore Chuck so much he stops paying attention?

JACK

That, or he intervenes. Cas once said--

(another beat, then with a touch more reverence)

Cas once said that being a part of this family was finding happiness in the small things. Because there was always going to be another fight, there was always going to be something tearing us apart, but if-- if I focused on the moments in between those conflicts, I would see the love that was there.

Dean is quietly poleaxed by this comment. Sam, meanwhile, is starting to catch on.

SAM

Right-- we were always on the move. Always something to fight, or--

(glancing at Dean)

Some secret between us. 

JACK

But now there’s nothing left to create conflict...

SAM

(rising excitement)

He’ll get bored. And then he’ll have to change it up.

JACK

What do you think, Dean?

DEAN

(jolted back to the conversation)

Uh-- yeah. May as well try it. Hit the books, watch some old movies. Chuck’ll be fed up in no time.

Sam goes to the cupboard and draws out THREE WHISKEY GLASSES.

He comes back to the table and pours a sliver of alcohol from Dean’s WHISKEY DECANTER into each glass, before raising one for himself.

Dean looks at him, confused.

SAM

I figured we’d... do a toast. You know, for... 

Fire in Dean’s eyes. Something in him rebels at the notion of a farewell. 

DEAN

(loudly)

No, no. I’ll defrost some pizza from the freezer, and then we’re putting on a movie. We’re not moping. We sit around depressed, and Chuck gets what he wants.

Jack and Sam pointedly do not mention Dean’s state when they arrived.

JACK

(with a softer version of his trademark smile)

Sounds good. I’m in.

Jack raises his own glass in toast, and the three CLINK their glasses together.

8

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – THE DEAN CAVE – NIGHT

CLOSE ON A RECORD NEEDLE, and Sam’s hand-- he is putting on a record on an old, expensive-looking record player.

MUSIC CUE: “THE GREAT PRETENDER” by THE PLATTERS, COVER VERSION (think [Alan Freed (1956)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaeQCAOHn1c&feature=emb_title) or [Roy Orbison (1962)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=9&v=ojYUKF_XJac&feature=emb_title)).

WIDE SHOT that reveals the full glory of THE DEAN CAVE-- since we’ve last seen it, A PLAID COUCH has been added between the two armchairs, and additional HUNTER PARAPHERNALIA hangs on the walls. Dean and Jack are walking around the FOOSBALL TABLE.

MUSIC (V.O.)

 _Oh, yes, I’m the great pretender  
Pretending that I’m doing well_

Dean and Jack each take up a side of the foosball table-- Dean GRINS, clearly excited for the match.

ON SAM, holding a beer. Smile not quite making it.

MUSIC (V.O.) (CONT’D)

 _My need is such I pretend too much  
I’m lonely, but no-one can tell_

JUMP CUT. Jack, Dean and Sam in front of the television-- the latter two are sitting in the armchairs on each side of the couch. Jack knocks over his POPCORN AND COKE when something on screen happens-- food and drink spills across the couch and floor. He looks up, mortified, but Sam just laughs and Dean smiles.

MUSIC (V.O.) (CONT’D)

 _Oh, yes, I’m the great pretender  
Adrift in a world of my own_

JUMP CUTS. Jack, then Sam, falling asleep on the couch and armchair respectively, as the light of the television dims.

MUSIC (V.O.) (CONT’D)

 _I’ve played the game, but to my real shame  
You’ve left me to grieve all alone_

Dean remains awake. He picks up his WHISKEY TUMBLER and gets up from his armchair, shuffling out of the room.

9

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – CORRIDORS – NIGHT

MUSIC (V.O.) (CONT’D)

 _Too real is this feeling of make-believe_

Dean walks down the corridors of the Bunker, dragging a hand absently along the walls. The camera lingers as Dean’s hand passes and we see a SCRATCH in the walls where Billie dragged her scythe in 15.18 DESPAIR.

MUSIC (V.O.) (CONT’D)

 _Too real when I feel what my heart can’t conceal_

Dean comes up to the DOOR OF CASTIEL’S ROOM. There’s a moment of obvious tension. He doesn’t go in.

CROSSFADE TO:

10

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – GALLEY – DAY

MUSIC (V.O.) (CONT’D)

 _Oh-oh, yes, I’m the great pretender  
_

Dean’s head, turning back around and grinning. WIDEN to reveal Dean with a FRYING PAN full of pancakes. He flips them on to Sam and Jack’s plates with a spatula.

MUSIC (V.O.) (CONT’D)

 _Just laughin’ and gay like a clown  
I seem to be what I’m not, you see_

ON SAM, laughing at a joke Dean makes. Then he looks down at the STACK OF PANCAKES on his plate. His smile falters.

MUSIC (V.O.) (CONT’D)

 _I’m wearing my heart like a crown  
Pretending that you’re still around_

Sam looks back towards the stovetop. His expression is distant. Beside him, Dean and Jack talk to each other-- oblivious to Sam’s internal struggle.

CROSSFADE TO:

11

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – LIBRARY – DAY

ON JACK, in the library with a ROW OF CANDLES in front of him.

MUSIC (V.O.) (CONT’D)

 _Too real is this feeling of make-believe_

Jack extends his hand out to the flames, and they go out-- but then his face falls. No matter how he tries, he can’t bring them back.

MUSIC (V.O.) (CONT’D)

_Too real when I feel what my heart can’t conceal_

CLOSE ON JACK. Terrified. Not knowing what he might be becoming. Not knowing what he might be capable of doing... or who he might hurt in the process.

CROSSFADE TO:

12

INT. GROCERY STORE – LEBANON – DAY

MUSIC (V.O.) (CONT’D)

 _Yes, I’m the great pretender  
Just laughin’ and gay like a clown_

The boys are inside a grocery store aisle-- empty of other people, but fully stocked with breakfast goods. Sam throws various items haphazardly into a shopping cart. Dean raises his eyebrows at Jack when Sam isn’t looking, and throws in a SUGARY COOKIE CEREAL. 

Jack smiles-- but it’s a delicate, muted thing. Nothing like the typical Jack smile we have come to know and love.

13

EXT. GROCERY STORE – LEBANON – DAY

TRACKING SHOT of the boys, as they drag HEAVY BAGS out of the grocery store, stuffed full of supplies. 

MUSIC (V.O.) (CONT’D) 

_I seem to be what I’m not, you see  
I’m wearing my heart like a crown_

Continue tracking as they walk to their car-- careful framing and focus reveals very little of what’s around them, but we do see a few abandoned shopping carts.

They walk to THE IMPALA and start piling the bags in the trunk and back seats.

MUSIC (V.O.) (CONT’D) 

_Pretending that you’re--  
Still around_

WIDE SHOT, HIGH ANGLE on the boys getting into the car, and slamming the doors shut.

CAMERA PANS OUT as music ends and the Impala drives off, TO REVEAL--

A scene of apocalyptic devastation-- THE MAIN STREET OF LEBANON, empty of people. A few cars crashed into sidewalks and shop windows. One has collided with a fire hydrant, which is still spraying water up and flooding the street. Shopping carts, handbags, bikes and strollers lie abandoned on sidewalks. A POST-APOCALYPTIC WORLD.

FADE TO BLACK.

END MUSIC CUE.

FADE UP ON:

14

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – CASTIEL’S ROOM – DAY 

Jack is sitting on CASTIEL’S BED, looking defeated. He holds out his hand, as though about to cast magic. Frowning deeply in concentration. But nothing happens.

A KNOCK at the door interrupts his thoughts, and he quickly lowers his arm.

JACK

Come in.

On Dean, opening the door, looking apprehensive.

DEAN

Hey. I-- Sam wanted your advice with what to make for dinner. And you... weren’t in your usual haunts. So...

He trails off. The ‘I thought you might be here’ goes unspoken.

JACK

(softly)

It’s been a month, Dean.

DEAN

I know.

Giving himself permission to enter, Dean closes the door gently shut behind him. Sits down on the bed beside Jack. Hands clasped together. A long moment stretches out, and then Dean speaks.

DEAN (CONT’D)

I’m sorry I couldn’t protect him.

(a beat)

Protect you.

JACK

I’m still here.

DEAN

You nearly weren’t. All because I was too friggin’ blind to see what was right in front of me.

JACK

What do you mean?

DEAN

I thought all that mattered was getting free. That no matter what I screwed up, if we managed to kill him-- we could fix it. While he was pulling the strings, he’d just keep taking everything from us anyway. So I-- I was a dick. To you, to Cas. And I thought I was doing the right thing.

JACK

You were doing the right thing.

DEAN

Don’t you say that. If I... if we’d lost you, there wouldn’t have been a point.

Dean looks away, unable to face him.

Jack is stunned by this statement. He reaches out to gently touch Dean’s forearm.

JACK

I forgive you, Dean.

DEAN

(bitterly)

You shouldn’t.

JACK

Cas--

DEAN

Cas shouldn’t forgive me either. Idiot should’ve let me die and saved himself.

JACK

(calm in the face of this outburst)

You know that’s not how any of this works.

DEAN

I get that much. I guess life was never going to be fair, what with Vizzini running the place.

JACK

Vizzini?

DEAN

Wow, we never showed you--? Huh. Short, angry, talkative guy. Thinks he’s smarter than he is. Chuck, with less hair.

JACK

Well, that’s not his true form.

DEAN

Yeah? What does he look like?

A pause, as Jack frowns. Ponders how to describe the face of God to a human.

JACK

I suppose he’s... older. Uglier. Blindingly white.

DEAN

Figures.

A tense beat. Dean runs his left hand over the perfectly made coverlet. Tightens his grip into a fist that clenches the material under his hand.

DEAN (CONT’D)

I know Sam said that he hadn’t found anything that could get him out, but...

JACK

I haven’t found anything either, Dean. I’m sorry. And while Chuck’s at full power--

DEAN

(moody)

Yeah, I know, I know.

Another pause, this time even more awkward. Dean and Jack, distant on the bed. Unclear on where they stand-- on how much comfort to give each other.

JACK

Can I ask you something?

DEAN

Shoot.

JACK

Why doesn’t Cas have much stuff in here? I thought there might be something I could... remember him by. But it’s like he never lived here at all.

The observation pains Dean, and Jack notices his discomfort.

JACK (CONT’D)

I’m sorry. You don’t have to--

DEAN

No, it’s fine. I s’pose Cas never moved in properly. He was always flying off somewhere, doing something, and I-- well, I figured he liked it that way.

(simmering in self-hatred)

It’s not like I ever made it clear that this was his home.

JACK

Where else would his home be?

DEAN

Heaven, I guess.

Dean snorts in disbelief, and then his composure cracks. He rubs his hand over his face to hide it.

DEAN (CONT’D)

(heart-wrenched)

Dumbass keeps getting himself killed, huh?

There’s a beat as Jack considers hugging him, then thinks better of it.

JACK

I’m sorry I can’t fix it. My powers...

Dean looks up, determined not to let Jack sink into guilt alongside him.

DEAN

None of that is your fault. It’s on me. And on Chuck, most of all.

JACK

But--

DEAN

(a hint of the old playfulness)

No buts, kid. Come on, let’s go make sure Sam hasn’t accidentally set the library on fire.

He stands to his feet, and Jack follows his example immediately. Then--

A BUZZING from Dean’s pocket. Dean exchanges a look of surprise with Jack, and whips out his phone.

CLOSE ON DEAN’S PHONE, with the words ‘CAS CALLING’ on screen.

Dean stares in stunned silence for a moment, before hitting receive and putting it on speaker.

DEAN

Cas?

LUCIFER (AS CASTIEL)

Dean? I’m here. I’m hurt-- can you let me in?

Dean continues to stare at the phone in shock as Castiel’s voice plays out. Shares a brief look of astonishment with Jack. Then--

He flings the door open, and races out through the corridors--

15

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – LIBRARY – DAY

\--through the library and war room, past a confused Sam who looks up from his open book--

SAM

Dean?

16

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – CROW’S NEST/ENTRANCE – DAY

\--and up the staircase, flinging himself at the door which he opens to reveal--

LUCIFER, wearing his old meat suit NICK. He’s leaning casually against the entrance alcove, looking amused.

LUCIFER

(in a mockery of Castiel)

Hello, Dean.

BLACKOUT.

END OF ACT ONE

  


## 

  


ACT TWO

17

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – CROW’S NEST/ENTRANCE – DAY 

Horrified, Dean SLAMS the BUNKER DOOR in Lucifer’s face. Too late-- Lucifer’s reappeared behind Dean.

LUCIFER

Now, is that any way to treat an old friend?

He flicks his index finger, and Dean levitates over the balcony-- his body hovers for a moment, then goes CRASHING DOWN INTO THE WAR TABLE below.

WIDE SHOT of Dean, sprawled on the table-- Sam yells out and runs from the library, but Jack is closer-- he gets to Dean’s side and leans over him.

JACK

Dean?

ON DEAN, groaning. He sits up, clutching the edge of the shoulder he landed on-- injured there, but otherwise okay.

Sam reaches the archway of the war room, and he and Jack stare up at the balcony. Lucifer smiles back. Malevolent, evil, and a total dick.

LUCIFER

Oh, all my favorites are here. Sammy, how I missed you--

Sam looks like he’s woken to a nightmare.

LUCIFER (CONT’D)

\--and the prodigal son. How are you, Jackie-boy?

Jack stares. Not so much horrified as openly perplexed.

JACK

You’re dead. You were in the Empty.

Lucifer vanishes and REAPPEARS RIGHT BESIDE SAM in the library archway. Jack has to swivel around to face him as he walks down the steps. Dean sits up on the table next to Jack, wincing with pain.

LUCIFER

Uh... yeah, not so much. See, after Pop snapped everyone away, things got real boring on His favorite show. No fighting, no melodrama...

(over his shoulder, to Sam)

...no sexual tension-- what’s the point if there’s no fun?

SAM

(filled with loathing)

So he dragged you out of the Empty to keep things interesting.

LUCIFER

(in a mockery of adoration) 

See. This is why Sammy is my favorite. Always so smart.

Dean gets himself off the table, advancing towards Lucifer. Still holding his injured shoulder with one hand.

DEAN

I thought even Chuck couldn’t touch the Empty.

LUCIFER

Well, to tell you the truth, guys, the Empty has been a total bitch recently.

(to Jack) 

Apparently, someone blew up all over her, and between that and killing Death-- she’s just not as powerful as she used to be. And we all thought she was a major hard-ass before. 

(to Dean)

Let’s just say even the savants of the Rack could learn some things from her methods.

JACK

(quietly)

You don’t have to play into Chuck’s game.

LUCIFER

Oh, save it, Scrappy-Doo. You know in the Empty, they make you play out a fun montage of your life’s regrets. And the thing is, I don’t have regrets. I don’t do regrets. But you, son... well, I saw a lot of you. Pushing you too hard, pushing you away, but mostly, just...

(with a nonchalant shrug)

Not killing you when I had the chance.

Lucifer flicks his hand in Jack’s direction-- but Jack doesn’t move.

Dean and Sam look back and forth between them.

LUCIFER

(perplexed)

Huh.

MICHAEL (O.C.)

You really thought it would work?

All in the war room turn and look up towards to the balcony once again-- to see MICHAEL, in Adam Milligan’s vessel. RIGHTEOUSLY IRRITATED.

LUCIFER

Oh great. What are you doing here?

MICHAEL

Same thing we all are. Playing out Dad’s little games for His entertainment. What did you think would happen here, brother? You’d manage to kill Jack, and then Dad would welcome you back with open arms?

LUCIFER

(yes)

No.

MICHAEL

You know, all those years ago-- right before the Winchesters sent us to the Cage-- you were trying to talk me into rebelling against His plan.

(almost regretful)

Turns out you were right. But not for the right reasons.

LUCIFER

(sneering)

You want us to team up? I always thought you’d look good in a Blue Power Ranger suit.

MICHAEL

No. No deals, no alliances. I know you’re too far gone for that. First chance you get, you’ll stab us in the back.

LUCIFER

Yeah okay. You caught me. But what’s your endgame here? All this, and you’re just going to go through with what Pops wanted? Cain and Abel round three thousand and twenty-nine? I suppose we never got that Biblical Apocalypse, but seems a bit pointless with nobody on Earth left to appreciate it.

A beat of silence. Michael is uncharacteristically hesitant. He looks away while reminiscing-- something wistful and serious in his gaze.

MICHAEL

(quietly)

Do you remember when we’d play together in the Garden? We’d make a tent woven from our grace, cloak ourselves from Dad. He knew where we were, but not what we were doing. And we trusted each other not to tell Dad how we did it.

(rueful fondness, looking back at Lucifer)

All of Creation, and that’s one of my fondest memories.

LUCIFER

You’re not very good at the whole seduce-me-to-your-side thing, Mikey. That was really always more my gig. Doesn’t suit you.

MICHAEL

I’m not trying to win you over. I’m trying to explain why you’ll lose.

LUCIFER

(genuine apprehension now)

What do you mean?

MICHAEL

Somewhere along the way, we forgot how to trust each other. But humanity-- the Winchesters. They had faith in each other, even when they lost faith in our Father. Maybe we should have believed in them instead.

For the first time since Michael entered, Lucifer looks at Dean and Jack. But where’s--

And then, SAM STABS LUCIFER THROUGH with an ARCHANGEL BLADE. A BEAM OF GRACE-LIGHT RADIATES OUT from his chest.

Sam steps back from Lucifer, as he TOPPLES OVER, the ARCHANGEL BLADE still lodged in his back.

MICHAEL (CONT’D)

(regretful as he watches)

Forgive me, brother.

On Jack and Dean, as the light fades away. Dean lowers his arm from where he has been shielding his eyes.

HUGE BLACK WINGS are etched on the floor on either side of Nick’s body.

SAM

I can’t believe that worked.

MICHAEL

I wasn’t sure it would. But if we could cloak our presence from Dad... I’d never tried it on Lucifer before. I’d always been too proud for subterfuge.

(drily)

Incredible how a few centuries trapped in the Cage will change your priorities.

DEAN

(finally speaking up) 

What the hell just happened?!

MICHAEL

(exasperated)

I gave your brother the archangel blade, and told him to kill Lucifer when the time was right. Obviously, I had to be invisible, or Lucifer would see me.

DEAN

You told him--?

MICHAEL

When my brother was monologuing.

(to Sam, approvingly)

You did well.

DEAN

Wait, I thought I was the Michael Sword. Why did you give your blade to Sam?

Michael exchanges a look with Sam. There’s some shared history there, history Dean doesn’t have access to and never will.

MICHAEL

It was his right. And based on Adam’s memories, it seemed Sam was the more trustworthy of the two of you.

DEAN

Gee, thanks. He still in there with you?

MICHAEL

(with a truly human sadness)

No. He’s gone, I’m sorry to say.

(rancidly bitter now)

Seems like my Father only saw fit to bring back the characters He thought mattered. Which brings me to--

Michael turns to face Jack, and Sam and Dean follow his gaze. Jack is confused.

JACK

Me?

MICHAEL

You. You have to know you weren’t part of the plan.

JACK

I wasn’t?

MICHAEL

No. Well, my Father let Lucifer create a Nephilim. I think He wanted an all-powerful evil for the Winchesters to face off against-- but then, as always, Castiel managed to surprise Him. You all did.

DEAN

We took Jack in.

MICHAEL

You loved him. I think my Father’s weakness has always been accounting for love. He tried to twist it, time and time again-- with all of us. But if we know His weakness, then we can find a way to defeat Him.

DEAN

(incredulous)

Really? We going full ‘Fifth Element’?

Michael fixes Dean with a stern look. Doesn’t have the patience for his attitude.

MICHAEL

(deadly serious)

Castiel was meant to die in the attempt to save you from Hell. He was meant to die in a barn soon after. He was meant to die again, and again, and again, and yet it never stuck. I always wondered why-- why he was the exception to the rule. No matter what I did, my subordinates could never pin him down long enough to squash him.

DEAN

Chuck was the one who kept bringing him back to life. During your Apocalypse, at least.

MICHAEL

Yes. I think he was interesting to my Father, at first. Even I was fascinated by him. What a curious thing he was, the one element moving so radically against what everyone planned for. What everyone wanted.

Dean’s expression is completely closed off. The gravity of Michael’s statements about Castiel are hitting him, but he doesn’t let on a thing. Jack, meanwhile, looks back and forth between Michael and Dean-- confused.

JACK

I don’t understand. What does Cas have to do with this?

MICHAEL

(to Jack)

Everything. He’s why you’re still with us-- and why you have a chance to beat him.

SAM

(connecting the dots)

Chuck can’t touch Jack?

MICHAEL

Something like that. Whatever Jack is right now, Chuck is afraid of him. It’s why He sent Lucifer and I here-- why He told both of us to kill Jack. When I detected Lucifer’s presence on Earth, I realized what Chuck had done. Doubled His chances of success-- or at least, a good show.

(scornfully)

My Father is a coward.

JACK

But I don’t know how to use my powers.

Dean holds a hand out and walks forward towards Michael and Jack, frowning. Suspicious of this new information.

DEAN

Wait, wait. I thought you didn’t have powers?

JACK

It’s... complicated.

DEAN 

Then uncomplicate it for us.

JACK

Whatever happened with that bomb, and with the Empty-- it’s like it turned me into some sort of vacuum.

MICHAEL

Not dissimilar to a black hole.

JACK

I think I can take energy from anything, but... I’m just a vessel for holding it. I can’t use it.

Jack is utterly defeated. Dean, on the other hand, is looking excited for the first time.

DEAN

(hopeful)

But if the spinach is there, we just work out how to open the can, and... Popeye’s our uncle. How hard can it be?

JACK

(miserable)

I’ve tried. Every day, every night, I’ve tried. But I can’t do it. It’s not like my grace. Imagine if you had all of Rowena’s magic, but didn’t know a single spell.

DEAN

How much power do you have? Enough to kill Chuck? Is that why he’s scared?

MICHAEL

No. The amount of grace it would take to rival Him is inconceivable. Even myself and Lucifer combined would not be enough.

DEAN

There has to be a way.

Michael stares at the wall for a moment, as though making eye-contact with someone else in the room entirely.

MICHAEL

Someone else might know one. But...

(with a grimace)

But I imagine Dad is listening in right now, so there’s no point contemplating it.

DEAN

I thought you could hide yourself from him?

MICHAEL

Only when He’s not paying attention.

Off Dean and Jack, looking from Michael to each other-- as though debating wordlessly whether to trust their new guest.

On Sam-- speaking up for the first time in a while. Frustrated.

SAM

How can we know Chuck didn’t send you too? Write you into this story? How can you know?

MICHAEL

I’m certain that my thoughts, my motivations... aren’t what He would write. He would have had me kill Lucifer myself-- and kill Jack, for that matter.

DEAN

And now?

MICHAEL

(to Dean, extremely intense)

I want the same as you. Revenge. That’s what He’s made us into. What could either of us possibly want more than that?

Dean struggles to parse Michael’s significant, meaning-laden expression.

JACK

What do we do now? Keep watching movies, and hope he gets bored again?

Michael stares down at Nick’s body.

MICHAEL

Well, first, I imagine we should burn this vessel.

CLOSE ON NICK’S BODY. His eyes burned out of his skull.

MICHAEL (CONT’D)

(then, with a small, soft smile) 

However, I could be amenable to viewing recorded entertainment features. Adam told me about a movie with a talking polar bear he said reminded him of me. I’d like to watch that one, if you have it.

Sam and Dean exchange a baffled look. A talking polar bear???

CUT TO:

18

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – THE DEAN CAVE – NIGHT

The boys are watching movies again. Jack and Sam share the couch, and Dean and Michael are in the armchairs on either side. Michael is next to Jack, and keeps looking at him rather than the film. Sam is reading a book of lore, and seems relatively content.

JACK

There aren’t any more movies?

SAM

I think they made a TV show? 

DEAN

It’s a book series. Wait, you’ve never read it? Thought it would have been right up your alley.

SAM 

And what, it was up yours?

DEAN 

(defensive) 

I like fantasy!

MICHAEL 

I enjoyed it.

DEAN 

Nah, it’s not even a good adaptation. Let’s get ‘Lord of the Rings’ going, that’s bound to kill a few hours.

Sam puts down his book on a side table.

SAM

(prissily)

I’ll get it. You have no idea how to navigate my laptop files, I don’t want you messing something up.

DEAN

Maybe if you weren’t such a control freak--

Dean notices Michael looking at them curiously and remembers they have company.

DEAN (CONT’D)

\--but far be it for me to stand between a man and alone time with his computer. I’m going to get dinner sorted. Jack, wanna come help?

MICHAEL

I’ll help.

DEAN

(uncertain)

Uh... sure.

There’s a moment of tense silence. Nobody has quite forgotten that Michael was once their adversary... and that Dean is the Michael Sword.

JACK

I’ll help, too.

DEAN

(relieved)

Sure, great. Many hands, and all.

MICHAEL

Technically I have several hands.

DEAN

(under his breath)

Just perfect.

19

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – GALLEY – NIGHT

Dean enters the kitchen first, switching on the light. Michael and Jack enter after him. Dean turns back to Michael, scowling slightly. He points at him, and then indicates the fridge.

DEAN

You, take the vegetables from that fridge and cut them up. Uh, start with the pumpkin. Jack, you take the onions.

JACK

Okay.

TIGHT ON DEAN, tracking him around the kitchen. He drags a pot over to the sink and fills it with water.

On Michael, attempting to open the fridge-- only to have several things fall out on to him, which he barely manages to catch.

JACK

Um, here. Let me help.

Back on Dean, who lifts up the full pot from the sink and sets it on the stovetop. He grimaces as he does so, visibly in pain. After setting down the pot, he rolls his injured shoulder.

MICHAEL (O.C.)

You’re injured.

Dean flinches. He addresses Michael without turning around, choosing instead to concentrate on lighting the stove.

DEAN

Yeah, your asshole brother threw me through a table.

On Michael, surveying Dean. Considering him.

A FLASH OF GRACE-LIGHT--

And Dean WHIRLS around back to face Michael, staring. Shocked. And angry.

DEAN

What the hell??

MICHAEL

I healed you.

DEAN

Yeah, thanks, Sherlock, I gathered that much. But I didn’t friggin’ ask you to.

MICHAEL

(a thought occurring to him)

Ah, of course. My apologies. I had forgotten the Winchester tendency to endure pain as a point of pride.

A beat, as Dean once again holds himself back from an outburst.

DEAN

It’s about consent. Thought you halo freaks were big on that crap. Just... ask, next time.

MICHAEL

That seems counterproductive if you intend to say no.

DEAN

Christ, it’s like dealing with C--

He stops himself. A VERY delicate beat, where it feels like the chips could fall anywhere. Then--

DEAN (CONT’D)

Look, no wand-waving unless we’re under attack or I say so, alright? That’s an order.

A beat, and then Michael gives a single nod.

Jack, standing in the corner with an armful of vegetables, finally BREATHES OUT. He walks over to the main counter and lets the vegetables fall on to it. Next to him, Michael examines the pile of vegetables. A strategist uncertain of which move to make next.

On MICHAEL, who stares at A PUMPKIN.

THE PUMPKIN stares back at him.

He hesitantly picks up a SHARP, LARGE KNIFE from the countertop, and stabs into it.

JACK

Not like that. You have to cut the skin off.

He shows Michael how to do it with his own knife. Michael picks up on Jack’s technique. 

MICHAEL 

(pensive)

It is strangely satisfying to dismember these food ingredients, knowing they will be ultimately used for a greater purpose.

Jack and Dean share a look. Not touching that with a ten-foot pole.

DEAN

I guess you’re technically Jack’s uncle, huh?

MICHAEL

Technically. I am sorry that you had Lucifer for a father.

JACK

Well, I’m sorry you had Chuck for a dad.

MICHAEL

Perhaps we all have disappointing fathers in common.

DEAN

(defensive)

Hey! Don’t compare my dad to those megalomaniacs!

MICHAEL

I have spent enough time in Adam’s mind to qualify John Winchester as ‘disappointing’.

DEAN

Adam didn’t-- you don’t know what he was like.

MICHAEL

And I suspect you’ve never let anyone know what he was like.

Dean is struck by this, horrified that Michael knows-- or has guessed-- how bad things got.

MICHAEL (CONT’D)

I, of all people, know what it’s like to realize your father isn’t what you thought he was.

Dean struggles with how to reply to this. Jack senses his distress and makes an aborted move towards him. He doesn’t touch him though-- Dean is still too volatile.

JACK

Dean?

DEAN

(to Michael)

Don’t act like you know him, or me, just because you think we’re similar or whatever.

MICHAEL

(pensive again)

Perhaps I don’t know you. After all, everything we think we are was written by Chuck. Can we claim to truly know ourselves outside of him?

DEAN

Yeah, alright Morpheus. Just focus on chopping the vegetables, would you?

CHUCK (O.C.)

You guys making enough for me?

Dean tips over the POT he’s cooking with-- water goes FLYING EVERYWHERE. Jack drops his KNIFE. Only Michael seems relatively unfazed.

ANGLE ON CHUCK, casually leaning in the doorway of the kitchen. Wearing Dean’s DEAD GUY ROBE. Looking like he’s made himself very much at home.

BLACKOUT.

END OF ACT TWO

  


## 

  


ACT THREE

20

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – GALLEY – NIGHT

We pick up where we left off, with Dean and Jack looking horrified, Chuck looking smug, and Michael looking tired but not surprised.

MICHAEL

(wearily)

Hello, Father.

CHUCK

Hi, son. You know, I was interested in where your character arc was going, but I have to say all this--

He gestures dismissively to the kitchen--

CHUCK (CONT’D)

\--‘Modern Family’ stuff just isn’t my jam. 

Jack picks up his knife, while Dean grabs an OLD KITCHEN MALLET from the rack of kitchen implements without taking his eyes off Chuck.

CHUCK (CONT’D)

Oh, please, guys. What are you going to do, beat me to death? Me? God? The Almighty?

DEAN

Someone wise once told me that everything dies, Chuck. Even you.

CHUCK

Well, mayyyybe. But it sure isn’t going to be today.

DEAN

(under his breath)

Jack--

JACK

(frantic whisper)

I’m trying, Dean--

CHUCK

Mm, no. I don’t know what weird nonsense you cooked up with that soul bomb, but Jack here couldn’t use that energy if he tried.

MICHAEL

You did this?

CHUCK

Yeah, pretty clever of me actually. A few last minute edits. See, I couldn’t stop the Empty’s screw-ups of my lore... and I can’t kill Jack myself now he’s been infused with the Empty’s power. But I can stop Jack from using that power.

On Dean and Jack. Realizing they just lost the best hope they had.

CHUCK (CONT’D)

Honestly, it’s more fun this way. Really forces me to get my creative juices flowing. They say you should write with restrictions, and I guess Jack here is the writing constraint I have to work around.

Dean advances on Chuck, wielding the mallet.

DEAN

Jack’s not a writing constraint. He’s a person. He’s our son.

CHUCK

(whatever, Dean)

Michael’s my son but you don’t see me getting all telenovela about it. Speaking of which--

Chuck conjures an ARCHANGEL BLADE, and walks over to his son. Michael looks terrified-- he backs up into some open cabinets, which spill plates and cutlery over him-- various items crash to the ground, some of the plates breaking as they do--

CHUCK (CONT’D)

\--Really was getting sick and tired of you dragging my name through the mud. I mean, comparing me to John Winchester? That’s a low blow.

ON CHUCK, advancing on Michael, looking bored and twirling the ARCHANGEL BLADE.

ON MICHAEL, slumped against the open cabinet--

CHUCK (CONT’D)

Sorry, son. You were always kinda boring, and I need a teensy bit more hopelessness around here.

Chuck raises the blade-- but then suddenly the blade VANISHES--

Chuck frowns, perplexed, as--

ROWENA (O.C.)

Don’t worry, dear. Performance issues seem to run in the family. _Manete_!

Chuck whirls around to see ROWENA MACLEOD and Sam standing in the doorway of the kitchen. Rowena’s hands are STRETCHED OUT, eyes GLOWING PURPLE.

ROWENA (CONT’D)

 _Manete_!

She casts PURPLE WAVES OF MAGIC.

On Chuck-- thrown off-balance, but otherwise unharmed.

CHUCK

(genuinely pissed off now)

You? How?

ROWENA

I’m the Queen of Hell. But even if I wasn’t-- you really think as soon as I learned God existed, I wasn’t going to have a contingency so you couldn’t wipe me off the board?

CHUCK

(frantic)

You shouldn’t have that power. How the hell did I miss you?

ROWENA

Honestly, dear, I think you just forgot I existed. Which I’m grateful for, by the way. But as for the power, well--

She turns to Jack, and smiles. Jack is surprised but delighted to see her.

ROWENA (CONT’D)

\--That’s all Jack, here. I’m just channeling his power to counteract yours.

CHUCK

(furious)

You can ‘counteract’ me all you like-- it doesn’t change a thing. Don’t forget, it’s not just me in here. I’m The Light and The Darkness now. You could have the power of all the archangels and Jack, and you still couldn’t kill me.

SAM

(triumphant) 

But you can’t kill us either, can you? 

Dean looks quizzically at Sam-- clearly, he hasn’t been filled in on whatever Sam is talking about. Meanwhile, Chuck is startled by Sam’s confidence.

SAM (CONT’D)

Archangel blades? That’s not like you. You’d just smite Michael where he stood. But you didn’t, because you’re worried if you use the power required to do that, Jack will absorb it. And if he absorbs enough, maybe he can kill you.

CHUCK

(scoffing) 

That’s ridiculous. I’m God.

SAM

Prove me wrong.

A beat, as everyone waits for the bluff to be called. But then Chuck just LAUGHS--

CHUCK

Oh, alright. You know, this is why I love you guys! Always surprising me. But this changes nothing\-- there’s not enough power in the world to kill me. So, you go ahead and sit here, slowly running out of options. And I’ll watch you die, one by one, and then I’ll finally be able to move on. You know, the story of Sam and Dean has consumed my existence for a stupidly long time, but I think watching you die like this-- it’ll be closure for me. Cathartic.

SAM

You’re sick.

CHUCK

Takes one to know one, Sam.

Chuck crosses his arms. Looks around at the last characters left in his story, then nods. An artist satisfied with his work.

CHUCK (CONT’D)

Well, I think I’m going to go take a hard-earned vacation in the tropics while you guys flounder.

DEAN

You’re just... leaving? That’s it?

CHUCK

Yeah. Don’t wait on me, Estragon.

With that reference (which clearly goes over Dean’s head)-- he VANISHES. The four men and Rowena look at each other, uncertain of what to do next.

DEAN

Son of a bitch.

CUT TO:

21

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – LIBRARY – NIGHT

We see Rowena sitting in one of the library chairs like it’s her new throne, while the men are scattered around her at the table. Michael hangs back in a corner.

SAM

So, there’s no way you can trap him, or-- bring people back using Jack’s power?

ROWENA

As I’ve explained, dear, it’s a delicate situation. Even if I were a conduit powerful enough to control the current... Jack doesn’t have the voltage, so to speak.

SAM

He doesn’t?

ROWENA

No. The wee boy’s powerful, but he’s no God.

SAM

So what can we do?

ROWENA

Ordinarily I’d suggest finding a way to juice him up... If there were angels around, we could drain them, but if Lucifer’s grace wasn’t enough to charge up the battery--

MICHAEL

(somberly)

He said all of the archangels and Jack wouldn’t be enough.

Rowena takes a moment to consider Michael, giving him a critical once-over.

ROWENA

So serious. Gabriel was much more fun.

Sam and Dean make grossed out faces. Michael, however, doesn’t react-- he doesn’t get the reference (or chooses not to).

JACK

What if we keep waiting? Maybe Chuck will keep sending things to fight us, and I’ll slowly get enough power--

MICHAEL

I told you, it won’t be enough. Besides, I think Chuck learned enough about Jack’s new powers to not try something like that again.

DEAN

So, what, we just give up?

MICHAEL

(eyeing Dean) 

I never said that. You still haven’t learned.

DEAN

(combative)

Learned what?

MICHAEL

To pay more attention to what isn’t said. How do you think Rowena’s plan escaped Chuck’s notice?

Dean frowns. What the hell is he talking about?

DEAN

Wait, you two teamed up on this?

MICHAEL

When I found myself on Earth, I took a tour. I was looking for-- something. Anything, anyone. It only took a moment to scour the mortal and ethereal planes-- but I found nothing.

Michael turns aside to Rowena, allowing her to fill in the other side of the story.

ROWENA

Michael hopping all over the place left a cosmic vapor trail. One I’d only ever seen from archangels. So I took a risk, and I summoned him.

SAM

He could have killed you. 

ROWENA

Don’t you lecture me. You Winchesters don’t understand the finer points of politics. I knew if there was a powerful being who had been summoned, there was a chance that being could be turned against Chuck-- if they weren’t enemies already.

Sam makes a face. Still displeased with her answer.

ROWENA (CONT’D)

And I was right! Michael told me that Chuck had sent him to kill Jack, and I realized the boy must be something that Chuck himself couldn’t touch. So, I told him if he could keep the Big Man distracted, I’d do my best to work with whatever nightmare you three had gotten yourselves into.

DEAN

Yeah, I still don’t get how Chuck didn’t notice you. Isn’t he like, omni-- something?

SAM

Omniscient?

DEAN

Whatever.

MICHAEL

No, He isn’t. He has a limited attention span. And why would He look for something He didn’t expect to be there? Especially if something else was commanding His full attention. For example, if I was loudly discussing what a bad father He had been.

SAM

That... works?

MICHAEL

As I said, I know my Father. His weakness lies in arrogance. In ignoring what doesn’t interest Him, because never thinks it could be important. That’s how I knew He wouldn’t be watching my movements, when Lucifer was busy torturing the three of you.

DEAN

Look, I’m happy we’re all still alive or whatever, but Chuck was right. How does this help? We’re no closer to stopping him, no closer to bringing back-- everyone. And now Chuck knows everything. All our cards are on the table.

SAM

But Dean, now that we know about Jack, now that Rowena can use Jack against him-- he can’t do anything to stop us. There will be a way. We’ll find one.

ROWENA

That reminds me. Come with me, Jack, Michael-- I want to use you two to set up some wards around the place.

MICHAEL

(bemused)

Me?

ROWENA

Yes you, dear. I’m going to use grace from both of you to stop Chuck from entering here without exerting a significant amount of power.

SAM

Michael’s grace because it’s connected to God’s, and Jack’s because it’s been merged with the Empty’s energies?

Rowena beams at Sam, pleased that someone understands.

ROWENA

Exactly. Alright, we’re going to start in the dungeons--

She takes Michael and Jack out of the library. Sam and Dean are left alone together.

SAM

I don’t get why you’re not more hopeful. We’ve got Chuck on a back foot.

DEAN

Maybe I’m just not as optimistic as the rest of you.

SAM

(quietly) 

We’re going to bring them all back.

DEAN

Yeah? All of them, huh? You sure of that? ’Cos from where I’m standing, even God doesn’t have power over the Empty.

SAM

Cas always comes back, Dean.

(smiling, fond)

Didn’t he... just annoy his way out, last time?

Dean can’t indulge in this right now. He can’t let himself hope, but he can’t let himself give up either. 

DEAN

It’s different this time.

SAM

Why is it? You never really explained what happened.

DEAN

There was... a deal, he made, to bring back Jack. He never told us about it, until... it doesn’t matter. He made a deal, Sam. I don’t think the Empty is going to let go that easily this time.

SAM

(exasperated) 

Then we find a way to break the deal. When we made a deal with Billie to break out of that facility in Colorado, Cas broke the deal for us. We’re just returning the favor.

DEAN

(gaining resolve, but still unsure)

Yeah. Yeah, you’re right.

SAM 

(mollified)

Of course I am.

Sam moves across the room, and clasps DEAN’S SHOULDER briefly as he brushes past him. Dean still looks conflicted. Doesn’t meet his eyes. 

Sam goes across to the library shelves, and starts scanning for a certain book.

SAM (CONT’D)

I was going to look into some of our spell books to see if there’s anything Rowena can work with. You could look into researching the lore on the Empty?

DEAN

(angrily)

I already looked through everything we have on the Empty. There’s nothing.

SAM

Maybe if--

DEAN

Look, I can’t look at any more books right now. I think I’m gonna-- work on Baby, or something.

SAM

(quietly)

Okay. Just-- don’t leave the Bunker, yeah? We can’t afford to drift too far from Jack’s protection.

DEAN

(frustrated)

I know, Sam.

Dean and moves away, shuffling out of the library towards the garage. Sam watches him go-- worried about him, but still unable to place exactly what’s so off about his reaction. 

MID SHOT from the center of the table, with the war room archway in the background. We see Sam flicking through pages of the books--

A short series of JUMP CUTS show time is passing, as piles of books appear and disappear around him at the table. Sam’s posture gets worse and worse as the night goes on, and he looks like he might nod off once or twice. But forces himself to stay awake and keep searching for anything that could help.

22

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – LIBRARY – DAY

MID SHOT ON SAM, clearly VERY TIRED-- red eyes, yawning. A few bottles of whiskey and glasses are still on the table from when the boys made a toast. Rowena enters from the archway that leads to the war room, and looks at him in horror.

ROWENA

Dear boy, were you really up all night?

SAM

(amused)

What, and you weren’t?

ROWENA

Well, yes, but... we had to complete the warding. 

SAM

And where are Michael and Jack now? You send them to bed?

ROWENA

(rolling her eyes)

Apparently, they “don’t need sleep”. Jack wanted to show Michael ‘The Office’, so I imagine they’ll be occupied for a while.

Sam chuckles at the image of two cosmic beings amused by such a mundane activity.

ROWENA (CONT’D)

What about Dean?

SAM

I don’t know. Still in the garage, I think. He doesn’t seem to be dealing well with...

Sam trails off, looking back towards the bedrooms.

ROWENA

Ah, yes. I had noticed everyone’s favorite canary was missing from the coal mine.

Sam grimaces at that analogy. He turns back to Rowena with a melancholy smile.

SAM

I lost someone important, too.

ROWENA

(taken aback, but delighted at the prospect of gossip)

Oh? You found a special someone, Samuel? Tell me everything. A name, to start.

SAM

(very in love)

Eileen. 

ROWENA

(approvingly)

A strong Gaelic name.

SAM

She was... is. She is strong. She’s a firecracker, and she doesn’t take crap from anyone.

(chuckling) 

Especially not me.

ROWENA

I like her already.

SAM 

(bitter)

Apparently, Chuck didn’t like her enough to keep around.

ROWENA

Chuck has no taste. I mean, imagine ignoring me for you two blethering idiots. 

SAM

You have a point.

ROWENA

I always do. Although I will say, beating God at his own game might just give me the fearsome reputation I need to finally bring Hell into line.

SAM

The demons were still giving you trouble?

ROWENA

They’re demons. I think I underestimated how slimy some of them really were. Might even have felt a wee sliver of sympathy or two for Fergus.

Sam chuckles and shakes his head.

SAM

It is the end of the world, after all.

ROWENA

I’ll drink to that. Pour me a glass of Scotch, will you? I want to hear more about this Eileen.

SAM

It’s-- the middle of the morning!

ROWENA

No better time for a Scotch.

Sam laughs... and pours Rowena a drink. 

23

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – THE DEAN CAVE – DAY

Michael and Jack are playing at the FOOSBALL TABLE. 

CLOSE ON THE PLASTIC PLAYERS, and THE BALL being knocked back and forth as Michael and Jack twirl the handles around.

We get various shots of both of them as the game continues. Eventually, Michael cracks A SMILE.

MICHAEL

I won a goal.

JACK

You got one goal, but I have three, so I’m still winning.

MICHAEL

You have had far more time to adjust to this field of battle.

A beat, as Jack fetches the ball from the goal area, and then places it back in the center of the table. They continue playing the game.

JACK

You know I met the other you, from the other world. You’re nothing like him.

MICHAEL

(a statement of pure fact)

I used to be a lot more murderous.

JACK

Still. I was afraid you’d turn on us. 

MICHAEL

I have something to protect now.

JACK

Yes. You’re much more like Cas.

MICHAEL

(amused)

A few years ago I would have struck you down for such an insult.

JACK

And now?

MICHAEL

I understand you mean it as a compliment.

Michael scores again. Jack smiles at him, and lets go of the handles-- he has finished the game. Michael mimics his actions. Following Jack’s lead.

JACK

We should make breakfast for the others. It’s what Cas would do.

MICHAEL

(frowning)

I’m even worse at cooking than I am at this simulated sporting game.

JACK

You don’t have to be perfect at something instantly. You just have to keep trying until you get it right.

(nodding to the table)

Just like Foosball.

MICHAEL

(still unconvinced)

Isn’t Dean in charge of providing the food in this domicile?

JACK

Dean’s the best at it, but we all help. That’s what being a family is.

A beat, as Jack frowns-- remembering that Dean has seemed out of it recently.

JACK (CONT’D)

And Dean doesn’t know how to ask for help.

MICHAEL

Very well. If you believe this is the right thing to do, I will attempt to-- help.

JACK

(utter, winning sincerity)

Thank you. For helping us. And for killing Lucifer.

MICHAEL

Sam Winchester did that.

JACK

You know what I mean.

(a confession)

Whenever I lose my powers, I’m always so afraid for them. When I realized Lucifer could be brought back from the Empty... I’ve always felt like I’m looking over my shoulder, waiting for him to show up.

MICHAEL

(confused)

When you realized he could be brought back... when was this?

JACK

When Nick-- his vessel-- when Nick tried to bring him back. He almost succeeded.

MICHAEL

So, it is possible to bring back someone from the Empty.

JACK

(slowly, dawning realization)

There was a spell that opened a portal there-- but it had to use my blood, it could only work with the blood of a Nephilim who was the son of--

(wide-eyed hope) 

Would it work for-- would it work for Cas??

MICHAEL

Whether or not it works to bring Castiel back, if there’s a spell we can use to access the Empty--

(a slight smile.) 

I think I might have an idea.

BLACKOUT.

END OF ACT THREE

  


## 

  


ACT FOUR

24

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – GARAGE – DAY

CLOSE ON DEAN, working frantically working under the hood of THE IMPALA. He looks sweaty and exhausted. Various mechanical objects and car-care products are strewn around the garage.

MICHAEL (O.C.)

I don’t see the point of servicing this vehicle. It is already running at optimum efficiency.

Dean jumps, and bangs his head on the hood as he does so.

DEAN

(to himself)

...Friggin’ angels.

He sighs, and puts down his wrench on the concrete floor. After stretching, and making Michael wait as long as possible, he finally turns around.

DEAN (CONT’D)

Can I help you with something, or do you just like to watch?

MICHAEL

Initially I was asked to call you for breakfast.

DEAN

What, it’s morning already?

MICHAEL

Half-past ten. I understand it must be hard to keep track inside this place. The lack of windows... something about it is not dissimilar to the Cage.

DEAN

(irritated)

We can’t all pony up for stained glass and Teenage Mutant Ninja paintings.

MICHAEL

Teenage Mutant...?

DEAN

You know, Raphael, Leonardo... Never mind. Fine, I’ll come down in a bit. Just need to finish this first.

MICHAEL

There was something else I wanted to discuss with you.

DEAN

Hurry it up, then.

MICHAEL

Castiel.

Dean stiffens. Glowering at Michael for daring to speak his name.

DEAN

What. About. Him.

MICHAEL

(calmly)

We might be able to rescue him. We might be able to stop God.

A beat, as Dean absorbs this-- and he immediately starts ADVANCING ON MICHAEL.

DEAN

Might be?? Listen here, Agent Smith-- 

MICHAEL

Nick brought back Lucifer. That spell could work as way of reaching Castiel. Reaching the Empty. But I need you to make it work, and you need me. 

DEAN

What the hell are you asking?

MICHAEL

I need you to be my vessel.

Dean laughs, unable to believe it’s once again come to this.

MICHAEL (CONT’D)

I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t--

DEAN

(furious)

Yeah, you know I trusted Michael last time, and you know how that ended up? It ended up with my s-- with Jack soulless, and a bunch of people I cared about lying dead in my living room. So forgive me if I don’t fall for the same trick twice.

(to himself)

Man, I knew we shouldn’t trust you. You’ll never change.

MICHAEL

(infinitely patient)

I have changed.

DEAN

And why the hell should I believe that?

MICHAEL

Because I know you have too. I can feel your emotions, Dean. My Father doesn’t understand what drives us. But we do.

Dean is thrown by this. He can’t bring himself to piece together the entirety of what Michael is hinting at, but he understands enough.

DEAN

(hesitant)

So, your plan... will it work?

MICHAEL

That really depends on you.

DEAN

You can’t be serious.

MICHAEL

Of course, it depends on Rowena’s spell work, too, and Jack. But I believe in their capabilities.

DEAN

Way to insult a guy.

MICHAEL

You lack faith.

DEAN

Big surprise, with God the way he is.

MICHAEL

You lack faith in yourself.

DEAN

Jesus. Can we spare the Dr. Phil session for now? Just give me the lowdown.

MICHAEL

I will explain all of it, to everyone. But before I asked anything, before I gave anyone hope, I wanted to ask your permission... as the plan requires use of your vessel.

DEAN

(incredulous)

My permission?

Michael isn’t fazed by Dean’s reaction at all. The two of them stare at each other for a long moment. Dean’s scans Michael’s eyes for understanding. Then he scoffs.

DEAN (CONT’D)

(darkly)

You wanna know something? I begged Chuck to bring him back. I would have given him anything he wanted. So yeah, I’ll be your meatsuit, if it means stopping him. If it means we have any chance of undoing what he’s done. Hell, I’d say yes even if it was just for Cas. 

Michael accepts all of this with a single, solemn nod.

MICHAEL

(with a sense of finality)

Then this just might work.

CUT TO:

25

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – CROW’S NEST – DAY

Sam, Jack and Rowena are sitting around eating breakfast – EGGS, BACON, SAUSAGES, THE WORKS, piled high on the war room table. 

Dean and Michael enter from the garage-adjacent alcove.

SAM

Man, I was worried I’d have to reheat your stuff. We really should get a microwave-- I mean, way the world is, we could basically just walk into a store and take one.

Sam suddenly notices Dean’s serious expression.

SAM (CONT’D)

What’s wrong?

DEAN

Michael has a plan.

All eyes turn to Michael. Rowena’s fork hovers in the air, stilled. Jack stops eating mid-chew.

MICHAEL

We can beat Him.

A beat, as various players absorb the gravity and confidence of Michael’s statement.

SAM

How?

MICHAEL

Jack doesn’t have enough power to beat my Father, and there isn’t enough power on Earth for him to absorb that could possibly make a difference.

ROWENA

But...?

MICHAEL

But. There is one place that has enough power to make a difference. One place that God has no hold over.

SAM

(excited realization)

The Empty.

MICHAEL

If we can find a way for Jack to absorb all that power-- all the souls, yes, but more to the point-- all of the angelic grace and demonic miasma stored in stasis--

SAM

Miasma?

MICHAEL

Demonic beings gain power from Hell, just as angels gain power from Heaven. It is a parasitic haze that consumes a soul-- a perverse reflection of angelic grace.

JACK

How many angels and demons are in there?

MICHAEL

Enough, I’d imagine.

Dean, quiet until now, speaks up.

DEAN

You know, last time someone tried to absorb a bunch of souls and become God, it didn’t end so well. Why would this be any different?

MICHAEL

Jack will hold true. I have faith.

SAM

(angrily)

Faith? Come on. You’ve gotta give us something more than that.

MICHAEL

(finally testy)

If you have a better idea on how to defeat my Father, I would like to hear it.

ROWENA

Dean has a point. I don’t know if Jack can control that much power, much less little old me.

MICHAEL

You won’t need to. All we need is for my Father to be scared enough to try something. He tries something big, Jack absorbs His power, and the second Jack’s influence eclipses His...

SAM

Jack becomes God?

MICHAEL

In theory.

ROWENA

All well and good, but how do we get to the Empty in the first place? I’ve never heard of anything that could open a rift to that place.

MICHAEL

That’s where you come in.

ROWENA

Me?

MICHAEL

I need you to modify an existing spell. Specifically, the one Lucifer’s vessel used to try and summon him back from the Empty.

SAM 

(remembering)

Nick’s spell-- but I thought that would only work on Lucifer?

MICHAEL

Hence the need for modification. But it should be close enough-- we have the blood of a Nephilim, and we are trying to bring back the angel he considers a father.

ROWENA

Even if we can get the Veil open--

MICHAEL

It is all I will need. With Dean as my vessel, I will be powerful enough to tear through and face the Empty myself. The Empty is weaker than it used to be.

SAM

Dean as your--

He turns on Dean, fury and betrayal written on his face.

SAM (CONT’D) 

You agreed to this?! After everything? After last time?

DEAN

Yeah, Sam. I did.

SAM

But Dean--

DEAN

(resolved)

This is somethin’ I gotta do.

SAM

Let me get this straight-- you’re going to break into the Empty, and then you’re going to find a way to bring back all those souls and put them into Jack, and then maybe we can beat God, if everything works the way Michael thinks it will.

DEAN

We’ve faced crazier odds.

SAM

(manically)

Have we?! Dean, you could end up trapped in the Empty right alongside Cas!

DEAN

Yeah, well. 

(with a private smile)

If there’s anything worth dying for, this is it.

SAM

This is such crap. We’re going to make Jack into some kind of soul bomb, again?

JACK

I can make my own choices, Sam.

SAM

You’d let Dean talk you into anything! And you--

Sam stands up, and rounds on Michael.

SAM (CONT’D)

How do we know we can trust you? How do we know this isn’t some ploy to kill Jack?

And finally, Michael gives voice to what he’s been hinting at all episode--

MICHAEL

(with all the surety of Heaven in his voice)

Because I love Adam, and I would do anything to get him back.

Sam is taken aback by that. Rowena also looks a little surprised, but Jack and Dean seem to have worked this revelation out already.

Sam’s eyes fall back on Dean, who stares at him very intensely. Willing his brother to believe in this plan.

DEAN

It’ll work, Sam.

SAM

Dean...

DEAN

It will work.

SAM

I hope you’re right.

ROWENA

Samuel, let’s crack open some of these books, shall we?

SAM

I-- alright.

ROWENA

Michael, Jack I need you with me as well. We’ve got to get this right, because we’re only going to have one shot at it.

(to Dean)

And Dean?

DEAN

(surprised)

What d’you need?

ROWENA

(affectionate)

I need you to get some sleep, dove. If you’re going to do this, you’ll need your energy.

DEAN

(hazily, finally feeling the weight of exhaustion)

Yeah, I’ll... I’ll do that. Call me if you need anything.

Dean leaves, and Rowena and Sam exchange a glance as soon as he’s gone.

JACK

So if we do this... it’ll be over?

MICHAEL

If it works, you’ll be God.

Jack frowns, unsure what to make of that idea.

SAM

Well... if there’s a chance we can really do this. What are we waiting for?

(with a smile)

Time to give Chuck what he’s got coming.

CUT TO:

26

EXT. TROPICAL BEACH RESORT

CHUCK is lying in a beach resort chair. Not a care in the world. Sun-bathing. Wearing sunglasses. Holding one of those TANNING REFLECTORS. We hear a radio crackle, and Chuck frowns. Lowers his sunglasses and looks up. 

WIDEN to reveal a brightly colored, faux-retro PORTABLE RADIO, on a table next to Chuck. The voices from the Bunker are coming through-- although the reception doesn’t seem to be very good.

DEAN (V.O.)

(desperate, stumbling)

If you’re... if you’re out there, Cas... if you can hear me. I’m coming. I swear, I’ll find you, and I-- 

Chuck looks annoyed. Sits up, leans over and cuts off Dean’s prayer, tuning the dial to another station.

ROWENA (V.O.)

Do you really think the boy can take it?

MICHAEL (V.O.)

Jack is the most powerful Nephilim ever created. His body could house the power of my Father. I would not suggest it otherwise.

ROWENA (V.O.)

Why do I get the feeling there’s a ‘but’?

A pause. Chuck squints, looking almost intrigued. Then Michael’s voice again, with less certainty than his usual commanding, regal tone.

MICHAEL (V.O.)

Jack needs to believe in himself, and his purpose. And containing the power is only half the issue-- controlling it is something else entirely.

Chuck shakes his head, almost fond. Mostly condescending.

CHUCK

Oh, Michael. You stupid, stupid boy.

He conjures an ORANGE COCKTAIL out nowhere, and begins sipping on it. Flips his sunglasses back up, lies down and goes back to sunbathing. COMPLETELY UNBOTHERED.

CUT TO:

27

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – STUDY – DAY

CLOSE ON a WITCH’S BOWL OF INGREDIENTS sitting on a table. Rowena’s hands are moving over the smoking concoction, adding flower petals and dropping in a lit match. Tilt up to reveal Sam, Rowena, Dean, Michael and Jack standing around it. A SALT CIRCLE surrounds the party. All except Michael and Dean look a little apprehensive.

ROWENA

Alright. It’s ready. Jack--

JACK

How much do you need?

ROWENA

However much you can give.

Jack looks at Rowena, and nods determinedly. Without hesitation, he takes up a SHARP KNIFE from the table and SLICES DEEP INTO HIS ARM. Sam is alarmed--

SAM

Jack--

\--but Jack thrusts his arm over the bowl of ingredients, and BLOOD starts flowing fast and thick into the bowl. Rowena closes her eyes...

ROWENA

 _Amator hominum, qui dormiebat..._

Michael looks at Dean, and Dean nods. It’s time.

THE GRACE-LIGHT OF AN ARCHANGEL spills out of Michael, and into DEAN, who LIGHTS UP WITH BLUE RADIANCE.

Sam hides his eyes from the light, while Jack stares.

The light fades, to REVEAL--

ROWENA (CONT’D)

 _...cuius maritus et filius vocare vobis..._

\--MICHAEL-AS-DEAN, with GLOWING BLUE EYES, who unfurls his wings-- casting GREAT SHADOWS against the back wall--

ROWENA (CONT’D)

 _...aperire tenebras, et sit in lucem_!

Adam’s body CRUMPLES, and Sam rushes to catch the body as it falls.

Suddenly, A HUGE BLACK TEAR opens in the study in front of them-- the walls of the Bunker SHAKE-- they’ve torn a hole in reality that should not be opened.

Black goo begins to spill forth from the hole, as it gets wider--

And Michael-as-Dean steps forwards towards the void--

SAM

Dean!

Michael-as-Dean turns back to him, and smiles. It’s Dean. It’s the brother Sam loves.

DEAN

I’m coming back. I’m bringing him home.

And with that he STEPS INTO THE VOID--

AND DISAPPEARS, the void CLOSING BEHIND HIM.

The Bunker stops shaking, and Jack, Rowena and Sam (holding Adam’s body) are left behind.

BLACKOUT.

END OF ACT FOUR

  


## 

  


ACT FIVE

28

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – STUDY – DAY

Jack, Rowena and Sam stare at the place where the portal was, and then at each other.

SAM

(vulnerability showing)

Do you really think this will work? I mean, it’s the Empty. It’s more powerful than Death. More powerful than God.

JACK

I think Michael was right. We’ve just gotta believe. And I believe in Dean, and Castiel. 

ROWENA

Well, I, on the other hand, am a total pessimist. I have no doubt something will go pear-shaped. But we’ll just do our best to deal with it, won’t we?

SAM

You’re right. I just hope...

Sam looks down at Adam’s face... then back at the portal. Tense.

SAM (CONT’D)

I just hope he knows what he’s doing.

CUT TO:

29

EXT. THE AXIS MUNDI – A LONG ROAD – TWILIGHT

WIDE SHOT of the IMPALA, beautiful in the twilight. The scenery is BREATHTAKING. Dusk is falling, and it is rapidly becoming night time. It’s a wide-open road; nothing but highway asphalt, grass, and distant mountains. No animals, no people-- just Dean and his Baby.

30

INT. THE IMPALA – TWILIGHT

ON DEAN, at the wheel. His face is set with determination, and we don’t quite know whether he is Dean or Michael. Until--

We hear a familiar rustling that means an angel has just appeared.

ANGLE to reveal Michael in the passenger seat, wearing the body of JOHN WINCHESTER (YOUNGER). The scene mirrors the end of 5.22 SWAN SONG, with Michael in place of Castiel.

MUSIC CUE: A slow, quiet piano version of “[CASTIEL’S THEME](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHFUFTn4gtI)”. Continues over credits.

DEAN

Really?

MICHAEL

It seemed appropriate.

DEAN

How d’you figure?

MICHAEL

You’re dying, Dean.

DEAN

I thought that was the plan.

MICHAEL

Not exactly. The Empty is rejecting your soul. You’re human, so it’s trying to send you to Heaven. I need you to stay with me.

DEAN

How the hell do I stop my soul from going to Heaven?

MICHAEL

That’s up to you. You have to convince your soul.

DEAN

What, give myself a pep-talk?

MICHAEL 

I’m in your mind, Dean. I see every part of you, every part of your heart. So let me ask you one question:

(a beat)

What would you rather have? Peace? Or freedom?

And with that, Michael vanishes again.

Dean grits his teeth, and slams on the breaks. The tires somehow don’t make a sound, ever as the car shudders to a halt.

ON DEAN, taking a moment to close his eyes, as though in silent prayer. He braces himself, steps out of the car, and--

31

EXT. THE AXIS MUNDI – TWILIGHT

\--walks out into the field, abandoning the Impala on the road. 

EXTREME WIDE SHOT. We watch as the small figure of Dean makes his way through the fields. The night grows darker, and darker.

BLACKOUT.

TO BE CONTINUED...

  


## 


	2. 15.20 - Ramble On

## 

  


SUPERNATURAL

EPISODE #1520

“Ramble On”

  


TEASER

FADE IN:

1

EXT. PIER – NIGHT

WIDE SHOT of a PIER at night. Some footage used from 4.21 WHEN THE LEVEE BREAKS. We hear the ocean lapping at the docks. It’s peaceful here. A memory from a different time.

ANGLE to reveal a YOUNGER CASTIEL, standing over a railing. He looks up towards a flickering street light.

LOW ANGLE SHOT as we see the light flicker over this Castiel’s head. A dimming halo and damning reminder.

ANNA (O.C.)

What did you do?

Castiel turns, and sees ANNA MILTON behind him.

YOUNGER CASTIEL

You shouldn’t have come, Anna.

ANNA

Why would you let out Sam Winchester?

YOUNGER CASTIEL

Those were my orders.

ANNA

Orders? Cas, you saw him. He’s drinking demon blood. It’s so much worse than we thought. Dean was trying to stop him.

YOUNGER CASTIEL

You really shouldn’t have come.

WIDE SHOT. TWO ANGELS appear on either side of Anna. WHITE GRACE-LIGHT illuminates the scene; when it is gone, so is everyone but the younger Castiel-- who once again is looking out at the ocean.

REVERSE ANGLE to reveal POV-- OUR CASTIEL. Older. Wiser. Regretful.

CUT TO:

2

INT. WAREHOUSE – NIGHT

Some footage used from 4.20 THE RAPTURE.

CLOSE ON JIMMY NOVAK, dying, looking up at CASTIEL-AS-CLAIRE.

JIMMY

Please, Castiel. Me, just take me. Take me, please.

WIDE SHOT. Our Castiel looks on, distressed, as a BURST OF GRACE-LIGHT takes the scene to a WHITEOUT.

CUT TO:

3

INT. VAMPIRE NEST – DAY

Some footage used from 10.20 ANGEL HEART, with our Castiel once again looking on in the background. CLAIRE NOVAK is holding a dead AMELIA NOVAK in her arms.

CLAIRE

(crying)

Mom? Mommy, please stay with me, okay? Mom? Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Mom, I’m sorry.

Castiel looks as though he is on the verge of tears. He reaches out to Claire’s shoulders, but his hand doesn’t make contact before the scene changes again--

CUT TO:

4

EXT. WOODED MEADOW IN HEAVEN – DAY

Some footage used from 7.01 MEET THE NEW BOSS. A younger Castiel is looking around a bright meadow.

YOUNGER CASTIEL

I thought the answer was free will. But I understand now. You need a firm hand. You need a father. And I am your father now. Be obedient, children. Or this will be your fate.

Camera tilts down to a DEAD ANGEL...

Then WIDENS to reveal DOZENS OF DEAD ANGELS, all framed by scorched black wing marks.

ANGLE ON OUR CASTIEL. Tears now rolling down his cheeks.

CASTIEL

I’m so sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.

CUT TO:

5

INT. MICHELLE WALKER CANDIDATE ROOM – NIGHT

Some footage used from 7.01 MEET THE NEW BOSS. A younger Castiel looks around at the slaughter. He’s losing control of the forces inside him. Several people lie dead in pools of blood.

ANGLE ON OUR CASTIEL, falling to the floor in despair.

CASTIEL

(lost, verging on delirious)

Please.

CUT TO:

6

EXT. AKOBEL AND LILY’S HOUSE – DAY

Some footage used from 12.10 LILY SUNDER HAS SOME REGRETS. A younger Castiel, in a female vessel, watches on as Akobel is killed by his comrades.

ANGLE ON OUR CASTIEL in the background, on his knees. Unable to look away.

CUT TO:

7

VARIOUS – MONTAGE

A quick montage of every single scene where Castiel has killed an angel-- 

Daniel, Duma, Theo, Hael, Bartholomew, Rachel, Jonah, Efram, Samandriel...

8

INT. THE EMPTY – PITCH DARKNESS

CLOSE ON OUR CASTIEL. Tears now spilling down his cheeks.

CASTIEL

(brokenly whispering)

I’m sorry. I’m so sorry...

CUT TO:

9

EXT. CAFE – DAY

We see footage used from 8.22 CLIP SHOW. METATRON and a younger Castiel at the café looking at a waitress-- JANE THE NEPHILIM.

YOUNGER CASTIEL

She’s the offspring of an angel and a human? I thought that wasn’t allowed.

METATRON

It’s not. There’s only one on Earth, and you are looking at it.

YOUNGER CASTIEL

But she didn’t choose to be a Nephilim, so she’s innocent.

METATRON

Yes, she is. I told you it wasn’t gonna be easy. But if you want to do this, Castiel, if you really want to do this, you got to ask yourself what’s more important-- her life or your family?

On the younger Castiel, conflicted--

CUT TO:

10

EXT. CAFE – NIGHT

More footage used from 8.22 CLIP SHOW.

JANE

You want an abomination? I’ll show you an abomination.

METATRON is being CHOKED BY JANE-- but then, the younger Castiel STABS HER IN THE NECK. Jane groans as the angel blade goes through her.

ON OUR CASTIEL. Closing his eyes. Finally unable to look upon his own sins.

CASTIEL

I didn’t know!

11

INT. THE EMPTY – PITCH DARKNESS

We see Castiel on his own, in THE EMPTY. Inky darkness surrounds him. He is curled over in the fetal position... Silently, but unmistakably, weeping. After a moment, we hear his voice, muffled and almost incoherent--

CASTIEL

Please. I’m begging you. Make it stop. Make it stop. 

He whimpers, alone and desolate. Nobody hears his prayers.

BLACKOUT.

END OF TEASER

  


## 

  


ACT ONE

12

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – STUDY – NIGHT 

WIDE ON the Bunker study. SAM WINCHESTER and ROWENA MACLEOD are sitting in two of the study chairs. Neither of them looking at the other. Sam is leaning over in his chair, staring very hard at nothing... while Rowena idly inspects a spell book.

ANGLE ON JACK KLINE, pacing across the floor. Extremely agitated.

JACK

How long is it going to take?

ON SAM, looking to Rowena for answers-- and ROWENA, scandalized.

ROWENA

Well, don’t look at me!

Sam sighs. Rubs his fingers over his eyes.

SAM

Time in the afterlife realms moves differently. But I don’t know if there’s a-- a formula for the Empty, exactly. We know so little about it.

ROWENA

It would probably change the equation as soon as you discovered one, just to be petty.

A beat, as they absorb the very real malevolence of what they are dealing with.

Jack resumes pacing back and forth.

ROWENA (CONT’D)

So... screw, marry, kill, Heaven, Hell and the Empty?

SAM

(aghast)

Rowena!

ROWENA

Oh, what games do you play when you’re bored?

JACK

(frowning, taking this very seriously)

Aren’t you the Queen of Hell? It doesn’t seem ethical to have you as an option.

ROWENA

“Ethical”? I see Sam has had a hand in raising you, then.

JACK

(brightly)

We should replace Hell with Purgatory.

ROWENA

But nobody rules Purgatory.

SAM

And who rules Heaven?

ROWENA

Last I heard it was Naomi. An odd duck, by all reports.

JACK

Well, I’d definitely want to kill the Empty...

SAM

Oh no, we are not doing this. Jack, go to bed.

JACK

But I have to be ready for when they come back!

SAM

And it’s been hours. The second we feel the Empty open, we’ll come get you.

Jack looks to Rowena for help... but Rowena simply looks away innocently. Not this kid’s parent. Not getting involved.

JACK

(plaintive)

I don’t even need to sleep!

SAM

Fine, can you just-- go to the library and get a book or something? I don’t have the patience to sit here and stop Rowena from corrupting you.

Jack frowns, and starts to walk away-- then DOUBLES BACK. Stands in front of Sam. Looks straight at him.

JACK

I know about sexual intercourse.

Rowena is ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTED by this statement, while Sam looks exactly the way you’d expect any parent to look when their would-be-three-year-old starts talking about ‘sexual intercourse’.

SAM

Did-- never mind. I don’t want to know. Just go and-- watch Netflix, okay? I’m not gonna watch you pace back and forth for another hour.

Jack is clearly displeased by this order, but marches off obediently.

ON ROWENA, looking at Sam with great fondness.

ROWENA

Oh, Samuel. If it makes you feel better, I could tell you about the time Fergus--

SAM

It would not make me feel better.

ROWENA

Very well.

There’s a brief silence, as Rowena fiddles with the book she has propped open on her lap, and Sam stares very hard at the table between them. Then Rowena speaks-- deliberately casual. Still not looking up from her book.

ROWENA (CONT’D)

I wanted to thank you for what you did before.

SAM

Before?

ROWENA

Killing Lucifer. Slaying the dragon. All that.

SAM

I was just lucky Michael gave me his archangel blade.

Rowena finally looks up at Sam. Vicious, visceral pleasure in her eyes.

ROWENA

I was watching from the shadows. Gave me a great deal of satisfaction to see that bastard speared through.

A beat, in which Sam remembers that Rowena gets it. 

SAM

Yeah. Yeah, me too.

ROWENA

I know I’m just the witch you turn to when you have some need of a spell, but... if you ever want to talk about it.

The rest goes unsaid, but Sam knows what she means.

SAM

I really appreciate that.

(a beat)

And I hope we don’t actually give you the impression that you’re not a valuable--

ROWENA

(mockingly)

What? Ally? Oh, don’t be silly, dear. I know how the Winchester brothers operate. I just worry that I’ll go the same, permanent way as Fergus.

Sam isn’t reassured by that at all.

SAM

For what it’s worth, Rowena, I consider you a friend.

ON ROWENA. Blinking. Quite touched, but trying to hide it.

SAM (CONT’D)

...And, I’m sorry about Crowley. Really. I mean, he saved us, in the end. For all the doubts I had over the years.

ROWENA

(airily)

Please, Fergus would have only gone out swinging for your team because it meant he finally got one over on that wretch. The number of times we’ve whacked that venomous snake on the head, only to have him come slithering back...

(suddenly serious)

...I didn’t want to say it when the boy was here but-- I’m worried about him.

SAM

About Lucifer? Or Jack?

ROWENA

Both. Michael said Jack was theoretically capable of containing the forces from the Empty, but whether he can control all those entities inside him jostling for power--

SAM

You think someone like Lucifer could take him over?

ROWENA

Lucifer, or something even more powerful. Who knows what else is kept asleep in that place?

SAM

This was a bad idea, wasn’t it?

(a beat, then)

I think Dean would have said yes to anything to get Cas back. Maybe he didn’t think this through. 

ROWENA

I doubt Dean has ever thought anything through. Especially not when it comes to that angel of his. Or his brother, for that matter.

Sam looks away. Smiling-- it’s a fond smile, but tinged with melancholy. The weight of knowing the privilege of Dean’s love... and the costs Dean has paid for that love.

SAM

(tight)

Yeah. That’s Dean.

CUT TO:

13

INT. CROWLEY’S LAB – NIGHT

DEAN WINCHESTER looks up from where he’s lying slumped against a white tiled wall. Disorientated. A little woozy.

REVERSE ANGLE to show DEAN’S POV. He sees BALTHAZAR, standing in the middle of the chamber. Agitated. Some footage used from 6.22 THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH.

Back to Dean, now TOTALLY PERPLEXED.

DEAN

What the hell? Balthazar?

But Balthazar doesn’t hear him-- this is just a memory.

Then A YOUNGER CASTIEL appears beside Balthazar.

ON DEAN, who bolts upright. Wide-eyed shock-- and hope.

DEAN (CONT’D)

Cas?

BALTHAZAR

Castiel? Are you alright?

YOUNGER CASTIEL

First Sam and Dean, and now this. I’m doing my best in impossible circumstances. My friends, they abandon me, plot against me. It’s difficult to understand.

BALTHAZAR

Well, you’ve-- you’ve always got little old me.

We watch from Dean’s POV as the younger Castiel disappears. He REAPPEARS behind Balthazar and STABS HIM with an ANGEL BLADE. Balthazar groans.

YOUNGER CASTIEL

Yes, I’ll always have you.

Dean is horrified, and yells out-- 

DEAN

Cas!

BALTHAZAR

Cas...

Balthazar dies, his GRACE-LIGHT filling the building.

As the light fades, we see MICHAEL has appeared beside Dean-- still wearing the younger John Winchester’s visage. He clasps Dean’s left shoulder. Dean winces, and flinches away from his grip.

MICHAEL

(reproachful)

Dean. We have to go. This isn’t where we need to be.

Dean blinks, and then looks over at the younger Castiel. Confused.

DEAN

But that’s-- that’s Cas!

MICHAEL

This is just a memory.

Michael leans down to touch Dean’s shoulder again.

CUT TO:

14

INT. DAPHNE’S HOUSE – DAY

Some footage used from 7.17 THE BORN-AGAIN IDENTITY, as a YOUNGER DEAN WINCHESTER confronts YOUNGER CASTIEL and DAPHNE ALLEN. A typical couple, in a typical suburban home-- normalcy utterly disrupted by the presence of this interloper.

‘Emmanuel’ holds out his hand, and the younger Dean shakes it.

CUT TO OUR DEAN, looking stupefied.

DEAN

(half-agony, half-astonishment)

Son of a bitch.

YOUNGER DEAN

Dean. I’m... Dean.

YOUNGER CASTIEL

Thank you for protecting my wife.

Dean watches his younger self struggle to process this. He’s struggling to process it himself.

YOUNGER DEAN

Your wife. Right.

Michael appears beside Dean. He’s quite annoyed-- although on Michael, this is a barely noticeable change in countenance.

MICHAEL

His mind is a labyrinth of self-loathing. I thought this would be easier.

DEAN

Why-- why am I seeing these memories?

MICHAEL

The Empty makes every angel and demon live out a highlight reel of their regrets. This must be one of Castiel’s.

Dean looks to Michael, and then back at Daphne. Uncertainty flickers over his features, and no small amount of guilt.

DEAN

Leaving his-- wife?

MICHAEL

(pensive)

Perhaps.

DEAN

Wait are you-- are you here-here? Or in my head? I thought I was your vessel.

MICHAEL

The Empty is a realm of the afterlife, where souls are made material, and bodies are rendered immaterial.

DEAN

I-- okay, I’ll pretend to get what that means. But if bodies don’t matter, why did you need me?

MICHAEL

I said immaterial. I didn’t say they didn’t matter. Firstly, your soul was necessary to the spell. The strength of its connection to Castiel is what allowed us to come here-- here, specifically, to his resting place. 

CLOSE ON DEAN. Swallowing. Looking away-- from both Michael, and from the scene before him.

MICHAEL (CONT’D)

And as for your body... my Sword is much like an angel blade. It has both a physical and spiritual presence. It enhances my power, and helped to mask my re-entry to this place from the Shadow that rules it. But its most important function only comes into play when we leave.

DEAN

(attention now back on Michael)

Wait, what?

MICHAEL

I believe humans still widely retell the story of the wooden horse of Troy?

A beat, as Dean absorbs that. Then--

DEAN

(indignant)

You’re going to pump me full of all the crap in here?

MICHAEL

Momentarily. It would be more accurate to say that you will act as a conduit, a channel through which energy will pass. Do not fear. Your vessel is stronger than that of any other human. A weapon forged in the fire of Heaven, and tempered in the pits of Hell.

DEAN

I think you got that the wrong way ’round.

MICHAEL

The result is the same. You smuggled the vampire out of Purgatory in a similar manner, correct?

Dean grits his teeth. Annoyed by Michael’s consistent violations of his thoughts and feelings.

DEAN

Stop reading my memories, man. It’s creepy.

MICHAEL

My mind is beyond your comprehension. A moment after possessing you, I had experienced every second of your life to that point.

DEAN

Great. You could have added that disclaimer before you possessed me.

MICHAEL

(looking at the younger Castiel) 

I thought you knew enough of archangels to realize what vessel occupation entailed. And as I do know your mind now-- I know it wouldn’t have changed your choice. Come, Dean. We have to keep going until we find Castiel-- or a way out. 

Michael reaches out to clasp Dean’s shoulder again-- but after the briefest moment, he lowers his arm slightly. Grasps on to Dean’s upper arm instead.

DEAN

(churlish) 

Yeah, yeah.

Dean and Michael vanish again--

CUT TO:

15

INT. HEAVEN’S WAREHOUSE – DAY

WIDE SHOT on a warehouse full of DEAD DEAN WINCHESTERS. In the far other end of the warehouse, NAOMI is making YOUNGER CASTIEL kill the Deans over and over again. Some footage used from 8.17 GOODBYE STRANGER.

Dean and Michael reappear, and Dean cries out in alarm.

DEAN

What the hell? Where are we?

MICHAEL

Heaven. A facility used by high-ranking intelligence officers.

DEAN

What??

MICHAEL

I imagine Naomi was making Castiel kill copies of you over and over again, until he was ready to do the same to the real you.

Dean looks back at the HUNDREDS OF COPIES OF HIMSELF. Absolutely horrified.

DEAN

But-- these aren’t even the real me. He didn’t even kill the real me. Why does he regret this?

The scenery shifts around them into--

CUT TO:

16

INT. BASEMENT CRYPT – NIGHT

A DARK CRYPT. Some footage again used from 8.17 GOODBYE STRANGER. Dean looks startled as YOUNGER CASTIEL and YOUNGER DEAN appear across the crypt from them. And on the other side of the room, OUR CASTIEL lies kneeling, crying beside the younger Dean.

Dean sees Castiel and cries out--

DEAN

Cas!

\--but our Castiel doesn’t hear him, caught up in the scene playing out, in which--

The younger Castiel’s fist follows through with a BRUTAL PUNCH to the younger Dean.

YOUNGER DEAN

Cas... This isn’t you. This isn’t you.

The brainwashed Castiel raises his fist to attack the younger Dean again.

CLOSE ON YOUNGER DEAN-- seriously beaten and bloody. One eye swollen shut.

YOUNGER DEAN (CONT’D)

Cas. Cas.

Weakly, he reaches towards the younger Castiel.

YOUNGER DEAN (CONT’D)

I know you’re in there.

Meanwhile, our Dean is racing across the crypt to get to our Castiel, leaving Michael behind. He kneels down next to him and grasps his shoulder--

DEAN

Cas? Cas, it’s me.

\--as the younger Castiel raises his angel blade, ready to strike.

YOUNGER DEAN

I know you can hear me. Cas...

Younger Dean’s voice breaks, pleading--

YOUNGER DEAN (CONT’D)

It’s me.

The younger Castiel pauses. He stands still, weapon at the ready. Light glints off the blade.

Dean looks up from his Castiel to watch the scene. Like watching a car crash. He’s captivated and horrified in equal measure.

YOUNGER DEAN (CONT’D)

We’re family. We need you.

(a beat)

I need you.

Dean turns back to his Castiel, and shakes him gently.

Behind him, Castiel’s ANGEL BLADE clatters to the floor.

DEAN

It’s still true, buddy, come on. Cas. Cas, it’s me. I... need you to hear me, man.

(breaking slightly)

Please, Cas. Please.

And finally-- Castiel looks up slowly towards Dean, confusion and fear beginning to clear from his eyes. 

CASTIEL

Dean?

THE EMPTY (O.C.)

Well, this is touching.

Dean looks up, aghast. The scene around them has frozen, and the younger Dean and Castiel are stuck in a tableau where we left them.

THE EMPTY has appeared, wearing the guise of THE DEMON MEG. It SNAPS ITS FINGERS, and our Castiel slumps to Dean’s side, UNCONSCIOUS. Dean scrambles to catch him, panicked.

DEAN

Hey, Cas? Cas!!

ON MICHAEL, stepping forward from the corner into a shaft of blue-toned light.

MICHAEL

You.

THE EMPTY

(pleased with itself)

Me.

DEAN

You’re... it? You’re the Empty?

THE EMPTY

You know, you’re really rude.

The Empty SHIFTS-- and we see it take on the form of ALTERNATE UNIVERSE MICHAEL.

THE EMPTY (CONT’D)

There. A more fitting outfit for my new guests.

MICHAEL

We’re not here to fight you.

DEAN

We’re not?

Michael glares at him. Shut up, Dean.

THE EMPTY

You two broke into my property and started trampling all over my beautiful garden.

DEAN

Hate to break it to you, lady, but this ain’t a garden so much as a morgue.

The Empty is amused by Dean’s statement. Such a simplistic view of the world.

THE EMPTY

I cultivate their grief like roses.

The Empty looks down fondly-- disturbingly fondly-- at Castiel’s unconscious form.

THE EMPTY (CONT’D)

Take this one. Castiel here is-- well, Castiel is a favorite of mine. You can’t look away from his pain. It’s sublime.

DEAN

You can’t have him.

THE EMPTY

But I do have him. What I want to know is, what is a human doing in my garden?

DEAN

You ever see that show about the two brothers? One of them trying to free the other from jail? What was it called?

We see The Empty looking confused at this tangent, and then-- Michael STABS his counterpart-lookalike through with the ARCHANGEL BLADE.

DEAN (CONT’D)

Oh yeah. ‘Prison Break’.

The Empty looks down in bewilderment at the blade through its chest. Michael removes the blade, but there’s no tell-tale glow--

CLOSE ON the wound, which is stitching itself back together with black goop, and--

CLOSE ON DEAN, smugness replaced with horror.

THE EMPTY

You know, I’m really tired of everyone trying to kill me. I can’t be killed. If I could, I’d do it myself. Could really use the peace and quiet.

The Empty turns, and throws Michael across the Crypt room with a single gesture-- Michael goes FLYING, and hits the wall with a sickeningly real-sounding CRUNCH.

THE EMPTY (CONT’D)

I don’t know how you snuck in here. I don’t know how you wormed your way into Castiel’s personal torture chamber. But I know this; now you’re in my domain, and I get to decide what happens next.

The Empty reaches out a hand, and a QUAGMIRE OF BLACK GOOP bursts out of the space around Michael, encasing him completely-- before seeping back into the walls and floor. Michael’s body taken with it.

DEAN

No--!

The Empty turns back to Dean with a smirk.

Dean clutches CASTIEL’S BODY closer to his chest.

DEAN (CONT’D)

Don’t you friggin’ touch him!

THE EMPTY

(pleased, twisted, predatory)

Castiel? Sweetheart, I’m already all the way inside him. But you... I’ve got a little ways to go to break you. Still... a human soul is no different to demon or angel essence, when you get right down to it. I thought Castiel’s fully developed soul would pose a problem, but as it turns out, it just made his sorrow-drenched plumage even more beautiful.

DEAN

What?

THE EMPTY

Mm-hmm. Let’s see how you fare against your own house of mirrors, shall we?

The Empty VIOLENTLY FLICKS its hand OUTWARDS.

CLOSE ON DEAN, blinking. The walls around him shift and change into--

17

INT. HARDWARE STORE – DAY

\--a hardware store, lined with overflowing shelves.

HIGH ANGLE reveals Dean on the ground, alone. He fumbles with the air for a moment, his arms now empty where he had previously been holding Castiel.

Dean looks around, disorientated-- then he realizes where he is.

DEAN

No. No, no, no...

We see YOUNGER DEAN, YOUNGER SAM, AND ELLEN and JO HARVELLE enter the hardware store. Footage used from 5.10 ABANDON ALL HOPE. Quick cuts of everything that goes on as the gang scramble to defend against the hellhounds. 

The younger Dean leans Jo against the counter; she’s whimpering.

ELLEN

Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, breathe now--

The younger Sam chains the doors shut.

YOUNGER SAM

Okay.

ELLEN

Boys, need some help here!

The younger Sam and Dean grab BAGS OF ROCK SALT from the aisles.

YOUNGER SAM

Go, go, go--

The brothers slit the bags open with knives and frantically line the doorway and windows with salt.

Meanwhile, Ellen leans over her daughter and peels Jo’s hand away from the INJURY; it spurts BLOOD. Not looking good. In fact, looking FATAL.

The younger Sam and Dean stare-- and Ellen looks over her shoulder at them, horrified.

CLOSE ON OUR DEAN, looking on in despair.

DEAN

(to himself)

No, please. Not this...

BLACKOUT.

END OF ACT ONE

  


## 

  


ACT TWO

18

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – LIBRARY – DAY

Jack is sitting at the table, staring at SAM’S LAPTOP.

REVERSE ANGLE TO behind Jack’s head-- the laptop screen is partially obscured, but he’s watching an old ‘Star Trek’ episode. Sam enters from the war room.

SAM

Hey, Jack.

Jack looks up from the laptop to Sam-- he can tell by Sam’s expression that it isn’t time just yet.

JACK

Is everything okay?

SAM

Yeah, it’s-- fine. Just needed a break, to stretch my legs.

JACK

It’s been twelve hours and twenty-three minutes.

SAM

I’m... glad someone is keeping track. Anyway, I just wanted to check in. Thought I might grab a few mattresses and drag them into the study, so we can sleep. You should join us.

JACK

I don’t need sleep, though.

SAM

(kindly)

Right. For me and Rowena, then. But you could rest too, if you wanted.

Jack takes a moment to consider this proposition. Then he arrives at a compromise--

JACK

(cheerfully)

I can stay awake and keep watch. I’d rather be useful than sit here bingeing ‘Star Trek’.

That phrasing catches Sam by surprise. There’s something about the way Jack spoke that makes him uneasy.

SAM

You know, you don’t have to be useful for us to need you.

Jack’s happy expression falters.

JACK

Cas-- Cas said that to me, before-- before. It was one of the last things he ever said to me.

Sam is caught off-guard by this-- by Jack’s change in countenance and sudden vulnerability. He walks over to Jack, and sits down in a chair next to him.

SAM

(gently)

Cas said that, huh? Well, he was right. You’re family, Jack. You don’t have to prove your worth by-- by going through with this, if you don’t want to. You don’t have to become God just for us. 

JACK

If it’s our only chance to stop him--

SAM

We thought the cosmic bomb was our only chance. And before that, we thought the Primordial Trapping Spell was our only chance. There’s always another chance, Jack.

JACK

I can do this, Sam. It’s what I’m meant to do.

SAM

(frustrated now)

The whole point of stopping Chuck is that we don’t have to do what we’re meant to anymore!

CLOSE ON JACK, conflicted. Apprehensive about taking the forces of the Empty into himself. But knowing it’s what he should do to save the people he loves.

SAM (CONT’D)

When Dean and Cas get back, we can talk about this as a family. Alright?

Jack smiles again, warmed by the idea of having his family together once more. But...

JACK

There won’t be enough time. Taking all that power into me... if we want to stand a chance, we’ll have to summon Chuck right away.

SAM

(realizing)

You don’t think you can control it.

JACK

I heard Rowena saying she was worried.

SAM

Jack--

JACK

I knew what I was getting into. You’d do the same for family.

CLOSE ON SAM, going through a complicated series of emotions.

SAM

Sometimes I feel like I haven’t been enough of an influence on you.

JACK

(perplexed)

What do you mean?

Sam exhales, wondering how to explain it to Jack in a way that doesn’t sound callous.

SAM

I mean-- maybe Dean and Cas sacrifice themselves too much and too often. I think both of them see themselves as a weapon, a tool--

(determined)

\--but they’re more than that, and so are you. Family isn’t about sacrificing yourself for each other.

(a beat)

Or, it shouldn’t be.

JACK

But-- if I’m God, nobody has to sacrifice themselves anymore. Nobody has to die--

SAM

No, not today, but... someday. They have to die eventually. Everything does. And you-- you have you accept that, Jack. Even if you’re God, you can’t just keep bringing people back.

JACK

What’s the point of being God if I can’t save the people I love? If I can’t make the world perfect? I could stop people dying. I could stop anyone from ever dying again.

SAM

I don’t think life should be perfect, or that we should all be immortal. Maybe it’s okay to just-- appreciate the time we have.

JACK

I think Cas said something like that once, too.

SAM

Oh, he did, huh? Well, I guess Cas is wiser than I give him credit for. 

A pause, as Sam clasps Jack on the forearm. A brief touch of comfort.

SAM (CONT’D)

Come on. You can help me with the mattresses.

JACK

Okay.

WIDE SHOT of the library as we watch the two get up, and then a slow, panning match cut of the Bunker reveals...

19

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – LIBRARY – DAY

Footage used from 15.17 UNITY, where a (slightly) younger Dean is talking to a (slightly) younger Sam.

YOUNGER DEAN

\--it doesn’t matter how we feel! You know what? Stay. Stay. But somebody’s gotta be the grownup here.

YOUNGER SAM

Yeah, well, someone has to keep fighting for Jack.

ON OUR DEAN, scoffing with disbelief. He has absolutely had it with this place.

DEAN

Oh, great. Yeah, this one’s still fresh, huh? We couldn’t go with something a little further back?

YOUNGER DEAN

He knows what he signed up for!

YOUNGER SAM

Last I checked, we don’t give up on family.

Back on OUR DEAN, agonized. Anger giving way to the genuine fear... that this might be how he spends eternity.

DEAN

Alright, can we-- can we skip this bit? I don’t need to watch this.

YOUNGER DEAN

Jack’s not family. I know how you feel about the kid, okay. I care for him, too. I do. But he’s not like you. He’s not like Cas. He’s just not.

CLOSE ON DEAN. Closing his eyes so he doesn’t have to watch.

DEAN

(angrily)

Come on. 

JACK

I’m... I’m ready.

YOUNGER DEAN

Well, then, let’s hit the road.

CLOSE ON DEAN, squeezing his eyelids shut-- as the Bunker dissolves around him, and reforms into--

20

INT. ORANGE MOTEL – NIGHT

CLOSE ON DEAN, who blinks awake. He’s sitting on a MOTEL BED. Cheap furniture and decor. Horrendously patterned walls. SLOW ZOOM OUT, as Dean takes in his surroundings. We hear the voices of YOUNGER SAM and OLDER JOHN WINCHESTER, who are shouting at each other.

WIDE SHOT of the motel room-- it’s a memory we haven’t seen before. From before Sam left for Stanford.

YOUNGER SAM

You never trust me with anything!

JOHN

Tell me something you’ve done to earn my trust recently, Sam. Because I’m coming up blank.

MID SHOT of the MOTEL ROOM-- John and the younger Sam are barely holding themselves back from a brawl, while a YOUNGER DEAN stands across the room holding his hands out between them. Desperately trying to keep the peace.

YOUNGER DEAN

Stop it. Just-- stop it.

JOHN

(vicious)

Oh, and what are you going to do? I leave you alone and you go waltzing along to the nearest New York bar to pick up--

There’s a pause, as John holds himself back from saying something they might all regret.

YOUNGER DEAN

That’s--

YOUNGER SAM

They spiked his drink, Dad! It wasn’t his fault! 

JOHN

Yeah, well maybe I didn’t tell you the full story, Sam.

YOUNGER SAM

What do you mean?

(to Dean)

Dean? What does he mean?

Dean looks down at the floor. Ashamed, but also hiding the true extent of that shame from his brother.

YOUNGER DEAN

(through gritted teeth)

Nothing, Sammy. They got me drunk, that’s all. 

John leaps on this immediately--

JOHN

He let his guard down enough to get drugged, got his guard down enough to sit there happily while--

YOUNGER DEAN

(pleading)

Dad, please.

JOHN

(changing tack)

And I saved him, picked his sorry ass up, and now you two ask me to trust you with this?

Back to OUR DEAN, on the bed. Tear tracks on his face, but he has a bitter smile on his face. Half angry, half regretful. 

DEAN

You bastard.

WIDE SHOT of the motel, and the scenes dissolve again-- this time reforming into another motel room we haven’t seen before...

21

INT. BLUE MOTEL – NIGHT

Dean is still on the motel bed, but now it’s a double rather than a single. He looks around, struggling to place the memory. The wallpaper in this motel is cool-toned, and the walls are lined with tasteful wood paneling.

Then YOUNGER DEAN and YOUNGER CASTIEL walk in through the door. Wearing the same clothes as they were in 9.06 HEAVEN CAN’T WAIT. They’re arguing, and the younger Dean swings around as soon as they’re both clear of the doorway and chucks his DUFFEL on the bed next to our Dean. Then he starts stripping off his JACKET. Hangs it next to the door. He’s not looking at the younger Castiel.

YOUNGER DEAN

It’s fine, Cas. Look, I-- I should have given you more money to begin with. I wasn’t thinking.

YOUNGER CASTIEL

Dean. I don’t want your money.

The younger Dean goes over to his duffel. He unzips it and starts rummaging around for something. 

YOUNGER DEAN

(frustrated)

You know, that’s usually my line.

YOUNGER CASTIEL

What?

Our Dean snorts despite himself, and shakes his head in disbelief.

Meanwhile the younger Dean finds a WAD OF CASH, and shoves it towards the younger Castiel. 

YOUNGER DEAN

Nothing. Look, just take it, man, okay? I don’t need this crap on my conscience.

YOUNGER CASTIEL

I want to do this on my own. I don’t need your help.

YOUNGER DEAN

It’s not-- dammit, Cas. We’re family. It’s what we do. 

YOUNGER CASTIEL

If we are family... you’ll let me, uh. ‘Leave the nest’. And let me fly or fall as I will. 

YOUNGER DEAN

Yeah. I guess--

(almost to himself, with an edge of frustration)

\--you’re right.

Younger Dean goes back to unpacking his bag. The younger Castiel watches him cautiously, backed up against one of the walls of the motel room.

DEAN

(to his younger self)

You’re an idiot.

YOUNGER DEAN

Look, I’m uh, sorry. About Nora.

YOUNGER CASTIEL

It’s fine, Dean. It’s not really what I--

He cuts himself off, and looks away. Dean watches this with all the comprehension, and horror, that recent events have given him. His counterpart, however, is oblivious... and intrigued. He puts down a pair of jeans he is holding, and advances on the younger Castiel.

YOUNGER DEAN

(interest piqued)

Not really what you what?

YOUNGER CASTIEL

(still not looking)

Doesn’t matter.

YOUNGER DEAN

(playful)

Oh, come on, Cas. It’s show and tell time.

That gets the younger Castiel’s attention. His eyes dart back to the younger Dean, then away again.

Our Dean watches as the younger version of him gets closer and closer to the younger Castiel, until he’s trapped him right against the wall. There is, as is custom, a distinct lack of personal space. Castiel attempting to look anywhere but Dean.

YOUNGER CASTIEL

I don’t--

YOUNGER DEAN

(like a hunter stalking prey)

Come on, Cas. What, she not your type?

The younger Castiel’s eyes snap back towards the younger Dean. There’s a pronounced moment of sexual tension. The younger Dean’s eyes glance down briefly at newly human lips. The younger Castiel stops breathing. And then...

YOUNGER DEAN (CONT’D)

(suddenly vulnerable)

I-- you ever--

Then the younger Dean TEARS HIMSELF away, turning on the spot and stalking back to the duffel. He finds something to rummage about for again.

YOUNGER DEAN (CONT’D)

(talking quickly to cover up what nearly happened)

Oh, man. I nearly forgot about that reaper chick. I was about to ask if you’d ever slept with a woman, if you even knew what your type was but--

He looks up, with a bitter smile.

YOUNGER DEAN (CONT’D)

(self-deprecating)

I guess you don’t need my help in that department, right?

BACK ON the younger Castiel, recovering from having the whole world ripped away from him. 

YOUNGER DEAN (CONT’D)

(still rambling)

I mean, she was super hot, so. You’ve got good taste, pal.

Our Dean picks up a HEAVY BOOK from the pile of younger Dean’s things, and THROWS IT at his back. Naturally, his memory-counterpart doesn’t flinch.

CUT TO:

22

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – STUDY – NIGHT 

Rowena, Sam and Jack are lying on top of mattresses. They’re in semi-darkness, with a few candles providing light here and there. Books and snacks scattered on the floor around them. It looks a bit like a teenagers’ sleepover.

JACK

This is nice.

SAM

Huh. It is. I mean, I wouldn’t trade anything for having my own room now, but... sometimes I almost miss Dean’s snoring.

JACK

Dean always said you were the one who snored.

ROWENA

Well, I, for one, am perfectly happy with my own bed. This one is appallingly lumpy. You need new mattresses for this whole place, since these are clearly leftover clearance stock from the mid-1920s.

SAM

Still better than most of the beds we slept in growing up.

ROWENA

Samuel, if you don’t update your living standards to the 21st century, how on Earth can you expect guests to stay here?

(a horrified realization)

You’ve been making Eileen sleep on these?

SAM

(defensive)

They’re not that bad!

ROWENA

(to Jack, a stage whisper)

It’s worse than I thought, my boy. We’re going to have to stage an intervention.

Jack laughs. Sam smiles, glad to hear the sound.

BIRD’S EYE SHOT of the three in bed-- their mattresses are arranged in a triangle, so their heads meet in the middle. A moment passes as the three stare up at the ceiling.

JACK

I think if I could remake Heaven, it would be like this.

On Rowena. Surprised, and the slightest bit revolted.

ROWENA

An under-furnished, windowless scout hall? Hell has better style than this bunker, dear.

On Jack, looking content. Unfazed by this denouncement of his home.

JACK

No, more like... spending time with the people you care about.

On Sam, grinning. Totally in agreement with Jack’s sentiment. A little proud, too.

SAM

Family.

(a beat)

I always thought Heaven kind of sucked, anyway.

ROWENA

Oh, do tell me more. Spare no details-- this will be great for our PR.

SAM

I mean I’d still rather be in Heaven than Hell, but...

Sam frowns, and sits up. He looks at Rowena. Suddenly a whole lot of thoughts he’s been having at the back of his mind are spilling over.

SAM (CONT’D)

Well, the whole system is unfair, isn’t it? I mean, all monsters go to Purgatory, but then they just die there too? And what, that means-- people like Garth, they go there just because they were bitten?

ROWENA

Don’t ask me, dear. I’m just in charge of the souls that get sent downwards.

SAM

(frustration building)

Right, and who even decides that? Anubis? What if people can change for the better? Or the worse? What if his system is wrong?

ROWENA

Life’s unfair. If you’re smart, you take what you can out of it-- and if you’re very smart, you end up ruling Hell when you’re dead.

SAM

(ignoring this)

And what about the Empty? When Cas dies, he has to just relive his regrets over and over? If anyone deserves to be in Heaven--

JACK

I’ll fix it.

SAM

(taken out of his own thoughts)

Huh?

JACK

If I have the power of God, I’ll do everything I can to fix it. Don’t I owe everyone that much? And Cas...

Jack pauses for a moment, thinking deeply.

JACK (CONT’D)

Even God can’t change the Empty. But maybe, if I have his power-- I can rewrite the rules so nobody ends up there again.

ROWENA

As long as you keep me on the throne.

JACK

You could help me change things, too. Be a-- consultant.

ROWENA

Consultant to God?

JACK

Yes. 

ROWENA

(to Sam, approvingly)

If your boy hadn’t got me on board before, he certainly has now. Business-minded, this one.

JACK

(slightly frustrated)

It’s not about business.

ROWENA

Everything is about business, dear. Except sex, which is about--

Sam groans, interrupting her.

SAM

Stop bringing everything back to sex!

Rowena shoots a triumphant look towards Jack. But Jack is frowning up at the ceiling.

JACK

What if it doesn’t work? What if they don’t come back?

ROWENA

They will. We just have to give them time.

CUT TO:

23

INT. THE EMPTY – PITCH DARKNESS

The Empty is circling Michael. At his feet lies DEAN’S UNCONSCIOUS BODY.

THE EMPTY

So... you want to make a deal?

MICHAEL

I do. 

BLACKOUT.

END OF ACT TWO

  


## 

  


ACT THREE

24

INT. THE EMPTY – PITCH DARKNESS

Back on MICHAEL, watching impassively as The Empty (as Alternate Michael) circles him.

THE EMPTY

What could you possibly offer me?

MICHAEL

That depends on what you want.

THE EMPTY

What I want...

The Empty smiles, and--

Gets RIGHT UP IN MICHAEL’S FACE.

THE EMPTY (CONT’D)

What I used to want was... peace and quiet. But now...

\--the Empty GRABS MICHAEL by the front of his shirt--

THE EMPTY (CONT’D)

Now, I think what I want is revenge. You know, a lot of people hurt me. Made it loud in here. Then promised me things. Lied to me. And I’m just not feeling up to trusting anymore.

MICHAEL

And what good is revenge?

THE EMPTY

(orgasmically, in his face)

Feels pretty, mmm-- good.

MICHAEL

(unbothered)

For a while, perhaps. What about later?

THE EMPTY

Later?

Michael gestures to the space around them. Barren, dark-- utterly devoid of life.

MICHAEL

What is this but a whole lot of ‘later’? What primordial entity did you piss off to get such a terrible, boring deal?

THE EMPTY

That’s why I was trying to sleep.

MICHAEL

But you’ll never be able to. Not like this. Something will keep waking you up.

THE EMPTY

What do you mean, little sphinx?

MICHAEL

You don’t have enough power to make it quiet anymore. To hold all of these beings in stasis. You couldn’t even stop my Father from dragging Lucifer and I right back to life.

THE EMPTY

(it’s true, and annoying)

...And?

For the first time in the scene, Michael’s eyes dart to his feet. The Empty FOLLOWS HIS GAZE-- to DEAN’S BODY.

MICHAEL

Do you really think it is ever going to be quiet in here again?

THE EMPTY

Oh, you underestimate me. He’s nothing. And I haven’t even started trying yet.

CUT TO:

QUICK CUT MONTAGE of previous footage--

25

INT. WAREHOUSE – NIGHT

Footage used from 4.16 ON THE HEAD OF A PIN, in which Dean tortures Alistair.

26

INT. LOAN SHARK HOUSE – NIGHT

Footage used from 10.09 THE THINGS WE LEFT BEHIND, in which Dean is slaughtering the loan shark gang.

27

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – DUNGEON – NIGHT

Footage used from 10.22 THE PRISONER, in which Dean is beating up Castiel against a table.

28

INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – DAY

Some footage used from 6.21 LET IT BLEED, in which a YOUNGER DEAN lies to a newly memory-wiped LISA and BEN BRAEDEN. OUR DEAN watches from a corner of the hospital room.

CLOSE ON OUR DEAN, turning away, and we begin a dreamily cut montage between different scenes as Dean walks from memory to memory--

29

INT. HOSPITAL WAITING ROOM – DAY

Footage from 7.10 DEATH’S DOOR, in which our Dean walks past YOUNGER SAM AND DEAN-- who are watching BOBBY SINGER being swamped by nurses and doctors as he dies. Dean keeps walking... 

30

INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDORS – DAY

Footage from 2.01 IN MY TIME OF DYING, in which our Dean continues past ANOTHER YOUNGER SAM AND DEAN, this time outside a hospital room watching JOHN WINCHESTER being given compressions by a nurse. Dean pauses, turns to look back at his father, but as he does the hospital walls dissolve... 

31

EXT. COLD OAK, SOUTH DAKOTA – NIGHT

...and reform into the vast, dark space of a deserted ghost town. Footage from 2.21 ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE PART ONE, in which our Dean watches JAKE TALLEY stab YOUNGER SAM in the back, while YOUNGER DEAN yells out-- 

YOUNGER DEAN

NO!!

32

EXT. KELLY’S CABIN – NIGHT

Footage from 12.23 ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER, in which our Dean watches LUCIFER stab YOUNGER CASTIEL in the back, while YOUNGER DEAN yells out, an echo of his (even younger) self--

YOUNGER DEAN

NO!!

CUT TO:

A quick cut montage of hunter funerals--

33

EXT. ROAD – DAY

Footage from 14.18 ABSENCE, in which YOUNGER SAM AND DEAN burn the remains of MARY WINCHESTER--

34

EXT. KELLY’S CABIN – NIGHT

Footage from 13.01 LOST AND FOUND, in which YOUNGER SAM AND DEAN burn the remains of CASTIEL and KELLY KLINE--

35

EXT. FOREST – DAY

Footage from 10.22 THE PRISONER, in which YOUNGER SAM AND DEAN burn the remains of CHARLIE BRADBURY--

36

EXT. FIELD – NIGHT

Footage from 9.10 ROAD TRIP, in which YOUNGER SAM AND DEAN burn KEVIN TRAN--

37

EXT. ABANDONED SHACK – NIGHT

Footage from 4.19 JUMP THE SHARK, in which YOUNGER SAM AND DEAN burn ADAM MILLIGAN--

38

EXT. FIELD – NIGHT

Footage from 2.02 EVERYBODY LOVES A CLOWN, in which YOUNGER SAM AND DEAN burn JOHN WINCHESTER--

CLOSE ON OUR DEAN, on his knees. SILENTLY WEEPING. No single man tears this time-- he’s a mess.

WIDEN to reveal The Empty, standing beside him. Insidiously evil.

THE EMPTY

Are you having fun yet? I’m having fun.

CUT TO:

39

EXT. SAM AND JESS’S PLACE – DAY

Some footage used from 1.01 PILOT, in which we see YOUNGER DEAN look up regretfully at a block of buildings. Camera movement and cuts are now slow; we get the feeling of a great build of tension, suddenly released. 

Our Dean frowns at the younger version of himself. Then all at once, recognizes his surroundings.

WIDEN to reveal The Empty, once again standing behind him.

THE EMPTY

You remember this? It’s the moment you screwed up your brother’s life.

Dean gets to his feet, and turns to The Empty. Defeated.

DEAN

I-- look, please. I’m beggin’ here. 

THE EMPTY

Oh, but we’re just getting started. I could loop you torturing people in the Pit, or-- oh, this one’s good. What about watching me consume your angel, over and over and o--

DEAN

(broken)

What do you want?

THE EMPTY

(ignoring this for now)

You know if you had just left Sam alone...

(with relish)

He’d be living a happy life right now. Free of you. Free of your poison.

Dean turns back to look at his YOUNGER SELF in the distance. A car goes past, and the younger Dean starts stalking away.

THE EMPTY (CONT’D)

Everything you touch turns to ash. 

The scenery starts to dissolve around them, and shifts to--

40

INT. KELLY’S CABIN – DAY

Dean turns back around to face the rest of the room-- YOUNGER DEAN is looking down at the BODY OF CASTIEL on the table. Some footage used from 13.01 LOST AND FOUND.

THE EMPTY

How many times do you have to lose him to get it through your head?

The memory-replica of Dean freezes. The Empty appears in front of our Dean-- reaches out and GRABS HIS NECK, choking him.

Before Dean’s horrified eyes, The Empty MORPHS INTO CASTIEL’S FORM.

THE EMPTY (CONT’D)

He’s better off here, Dean. And, frankly, so are you. You can’t hurt anyone anymore. 

DEAN

(weakly, choking)

You’re w-wrong...

THE EMPTY

Face it, you little worm. 

DEAN

Not-- listening...

THE EMPTY

On second thought...

The Empty DROPS DEAN to the floor. He goes down with a heavy thud--

CLOSE ON DEAN, wheezing, as the legs in front of him morph to another form, and we--

WIDEN TO REVEAL EMPTY-AS-MEG once again. The Empty sits down casually on the table next to the younger Castiel’s body.

THE EMPTY (CONT’D)

I wouldn’t want you to get off on this or anything.

Dean tries and fails to get to his feet. He struggles, half-crawling in The Empty’s direction, still clutching his throat.

The Empty starts stroking the BOUND BODY OF CASTIEL possessively with one hand.

THE EMPTY (CONT’D)

(enjoying this)

You were always jealous of her, weren’t you? A demon could give him what you couldn’t. Think about that.

ANGLE TO REVEAL MICHAEL, standing behind Dean.

MICHAEL

This is pointless.

The Empty snarls. Fingers abruptly stop stroking-- and instead tighten violently around Castiel’s leg.

THE EMPTY

I don’t remember inviting you in here, Stuffy.

MICHAEL

You won’t win against him.

(with a small smile)

Trust me. I’ve been there. There’s nothing in this world more stubborn than a Winchester.

The Empty SLAMS a fist on the table, and the scene DISSOLVES AROUND THEM INTO:

41

INT. THE EMPTY – TOTAL DARKNESS

Dean looks around at the darkness of the Empty, then back to their adversary. He slowly stands to his feet. Michael, meanwhile, remains unmoved.

THE EMPTY

So, what is your grand scheme, hmm? What do you propose?

MICHAEL

A trade.

THE EMPTY

(mockingly)

What could something like you possibly offer?

MICHAEL

Peace. For eternity. You will never be disturbed again.

A beat, as The Empty stares. Trying to work out if this is a lie, or a trap.

THE EMPTY

How can you guarantee that?

MICHAEL

That’s your side of the trade. We will take all of the noise from here in exchange, and using the power gained, we change the rules so that nobody is sent to this place ever again.

The Empty scoffs. Unconvinced.

THE EMPTY

Nice try dollface, but nobody can handle that much power.

MICHAEL

The Nephilim exploded in here with enough power to kill a God, and he still survived.

Another pause-- this time, MUCH LONGER. The Empty considers Michael, gaze calculating. Michael stares back, undaunted.

THE EMPTY

(considering)

If what you say is true, it’s an intriguing idea. Of course, you realize the kinds of things I’m keeping safe, don’t you? All sort of evil. More powerful than you. Maybe more powerful than that Nephilim. And if that child springs a leak, well...

(with a grin)

You could get every dead thing spilling right back out into that world of yours.

MICHAEL

The cost will be worth it.

Dean has been watching this exchange, while the other two ignore his presence-- but on this news, he breaks in, voice still hoarse--

DEAN

W-wait, wait a sec.

MICHAEL

(eyes still on The Empty)

There’s always a price.

DEAN

Hang on. We didn’t discuss this.

Michael finally turns to him. For the first time in a while, he looks utterly inhuman. Every inch an ARCHANGEL OF THE LORD.

MICHAEL

The time for discussion is past. The consequences will be dealt with.

DEAN

We can’t just--

THE EMPTY

What makes you think I’ll accept your deal? I like my garden. I liked sleeping better, but there are some very pretty flowers here. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to be awake... to cultivate my own Eden.

MICHAEL

Then keep a few, few enough that you can silence them when you need. Few enough that your energy won’t be wasted on subduing millions.

THE EMPTY

Well then.

(to Dean, with an unhinged smile)

I’ll make sure to keep Castiel.

DEAN

No deal.

MICHAEL

(warning)

Dean--

DEAN

I said no deal. I’m not leaving here without him.

The Empty looks delighted by this.

THE EMPTY

I’m glad you said that! Because guess what?

The Empty DISAPPEARS and REAPPEARS right in front of Dean’s FACE, noses less than an inch apart, and--

CLOSE ON DEAN’S STOMACH, as The Empty STABS HIM with AN OOZING BLACK KNIFE.

ON DEAN, who GASPS OUT IN PAIN AND SHOCK--

THE EMPTY (CONT’D)

You’re not leaving here either.

MICHAEL

This wasn’t part of the--

THE EMPTY

Deal’s off, buttercup. I’m starting to like this whole ‘being awake’ thing. Who needs sleep when you can binge drama like this.

The Empty TWISTS THE KNIFE, and Dean SCREAMS.

Then MICHAEL SHOVES THE EMPTY aside with a BURST OF GRACE-LIGHT-- holding on to Dean before he falls over.

The Empty goes FLYING across the space and lands with a BONE-BREAKING THUD.

SUDDENLY, the WHOLE PLACE starts SHAKING. BEAMS OF LIGHT are beginning to crack through the darkness.

Michael talks frantically in Dean’s ear--

MICHAEL

Dean, we don’t have much time. Get Castiel and run.

DEAN

(in pain, out of it)

Run-- where??

The Empty SCREAMS IN FURY. Michael lets out a burst of healing GRACE-LIGHT, fixing Dean’s stab wound.

MICHAEL

Find an exit. Get as many others out as you can, but--

\--The Empty begins to stand up. With a sickening crunch, dismembered limbs snap back into place.

THE EMPTY

I will kill you!

MICHAEL

\--don’t let this be for nothing.

The Empty screams, and rushes forward. Michael stands in front of Dean, and yells--

MICHAEL (CONT’D)

Go!

Dean scrambles away, running as fast as he can-- but where can he go? There’s nothing but empty space.

He closes his eyes in prayer, grips his left shoulder--

DEAN

Come on. Cas, Castiel. Please. 

\--and opens his eyes again, as the darkness around him dissolves--

42

EXT. LISA’S HOUSE – DAY

\--and reforms into a suburban backyard. Dean recognizes it, but doesn’t understand. 

ON LISA and BEN BRAEDEN, walking down the steps. Laughing when they see a YOUNGER DEAN.

DEAN

(despairing)

No, no, no. Dammit!

We see the younger Dean smile and joke with Lisa, as our Dean stares on, lost. Convinced he’s back in a loop of his own regrets.

BLACKOUT.

END OF ACT THREE

  


## 

  


ACT FOUR

43

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – STUDY – DAY

Time has clearly passed since we were last here; the study is even messier than before. DIRTY PLATES are scattered around, along with few candy wrappers and discarded soft drink cans. Rowena is lying passed out in a SLUMP, on a make-shift bean bag of several blankets and plaid jackets. Sam is staring at a book in front of him. Jack is playing on a NINTENDO SWITCH.

Jack sighs, and puts down the handheld console.

JACK

I think we should talk about it.

Sam knows what he means, but doesn’t want to engage. He doesn’t take his eyes off the book. 

SAM

There’s nothing to talk about.

JACK

If they don’t come back--

SAM

They will.

JACK

Three days.

SAM

Could be Hell in reverse. Like, half a year here is one day in there.

JACK

Are we going to wait for half a year?

SAM

No. One more day, alright? One more day, and then we find a way to break in there ourselves.

JACK

(quiet)

Alright.

A beat, as Jack examines his hands. Wonders at the powers they once contained-- and might contain again soon.

JACK (CONT’D)

What if it happens again?

SAM

What does?

JACK

The-- souls. You told me, when Cas became God, it made him crazy. He couldn’t control it. Killed people. And I--

A pause, as Jack remembers the act, and the consequences. His next words come slowly, a half-whisper of self-flagellation--

JACK (CONT’D)

I... killed Mary.

SAM

Not on purpose.

JACK

But if I’m not in control--

Sam finally turns away from the book, closing it. He looks at Jack with utter sincerity. 

SAM

Jack, I believe in you. We all believe in you. And whatever happens-- whatever happens, whatever you choose to be-- you’re family. Don’t forget that, alright?

Jack is overwhelmed by this declaration.

JACK

Why have you always been so kind to me?

Sam shakes his head. Amused... and a little sad. Jack has a poor basis for comparison.

SAM

Dean’s just a dick.

JACK

But right from the beginning you vouched for me, even though you had no reason to. You convinced Dean to let me stay. You’re the reason I had a home.

A beat, as Sam looks away, embarrassed. Pondering how much truth to include in his reply.

SAM

I was like you, a long time ago. I had these-- powers. 

JACK

Powers?

SAM

Yeah, like. Psychic powers.

JACK

What happened?

SAM

They weren’t-- good powers, ’cos they came from uh. Demon blood. That’s what made me “special”.

JACK

Oh, I think I heard you talking about that once.

SAM

(amused)

Eavesdropping?

JACK

(guilty)

Sorry.

SAM

(waving him off)

It’s fine.

JACK

But... isn’t being the son of Lucifer what makes me “special”?

SAM

Yes, but that’s different.

JACK

(sincerely confused)

I don’t see how.

Sam barks out a short laugh, disbelieving. He doesn’t know how to explain it to Jack. And... maybe Jack is right.

SAM

It doesn’t matter, anyway. I don’t do it anymore.

JACK

Could you?

SAM

Could I-- oh. No. And I wouldn’t, even if I could.

JACK

Did your father hate your powers?

Sam flinches. He is surprised by this sudden question, with no idea where Jack found it.

SAM

(alarmed)

What-- what makes you say that?

JACK

You and Dean... I used to sense things. Like, your souls.

SAM

(even more alarmed)

Our souls?

JACK

Mostly Dean’s. He’d-- feel things, and then he’d do the opposite of whatever he was feeling. And--

ON SAM, who doesn’t dare to speak-- and barely dares to breathe.

JACK (CONT’D)

When he was upset, or angry-- it always felt like he was trying to be someone he wasn’t. His soul would go sort of-- flat. Gray. And whenever Mary brought up your dad, it would go that color too.

SAM

(weakly)

Oh, right...

JACK

I’m sorry if I was intruding.

SAM

No, it’s-- fine.

(carefully light)

I won’t lie, it’s kinda creepy to know we couldn’t hide our feelings around you.

JACK

That was-- when I was young. When Castiel realized what I was doing, he taught me how to stop myself. I mentioned something to him that I had read from his own emotions, and he-- he told me there are some things that people don’t want shared, or talked about. He said that humans would consider it a violation to have obtained such knowledge without their consent.

SAM

Huh.

JACK

(a confession)

But sometimes I still can’t help it. Sometimes the colors are so bright--

Jack catches Sam’s renewed look of alarm, and quickly works to reassure him.

JACK (CONT’D)

\--nothing bad! Like... when someone is longing for the person they are in love with. When you were going on that date with Eileen, it was-- very bright.

SAM

(embarrassed)

Ah.

JACK

But I learned to tune that out, mostly. I mean, otherwise it would have been overwhelming for all this time.

Sam looks embarrassed, thinking Jack means him-- and hastily tries to change the topic. 

SAM

Look, our dad was-- complicated. So maybe don’t bring that stuff up to Dean.

JACK

I know. I’m sorry for mentioning him, I just wanted to tell you what you told me.

SAM

Huh?

JACK

(smiling)

Whatever you choose to be... you’ll still be family.

Sam huffs out a surprised laugh, and smiles back at Jack.

Jack goes back to playing on his Nintendo Switch, content.

On Sam, watching him. Smile fading into a deeply pensive gaze. His conversation with Jack has given him a lot to think about.

CUT TO:

44

EXT. LISA’S BACKYARD – DAY

YOUNGER DEAN and LISA kiss chastely in farewell, as Lisa leads Ben away. In the background we see Dean, watching them.

As they separate, PULL FOCUS from the couple on to Dean’s face, which goes slack with shock--

LISA (O.C.)

And I want that yard to be clear by the time I get back!

Angle from DEAN’S side of the yard, and we can see--

YOUNGER DEAN

Yeah, yeah, I know.

\--YOUNGER CASTIEL on the other side, watching Lisa and Dean.

DEAN

Cas?

He runs to the other side of the yard, but it’s clear this Castiel can’t see him.

DEAN (CONT’D)

Cas? Is that you-you, or are we--

He looks around, realizing. 

DEAN (CONT’D)

This is-- your memory?

The younger Castiel watches the younger Dean, unfathomably sad.

DEAN (CONT’D)

(angrily)

You bastard. You-- what, watched me? Without me knowing? How long?

The younger Castiel doesn’t react. Meanwhile, the younger Dean sighs, something wistful in his gaze. He walks to get a rake from where it’s leaning against the back wall.

Dean gets RIGHT UP into the younger Castiel’s face. Extremely emotional-- close to a breaking point.

DEAN (CONT’D)

Cas, how often did you spy on me, huh? Why didn’t you ever say anything?

Castiel watches the younger Dean, unmoving.

DEAN (CONT’D)

(rage subsiding into overwhelming, raw grief)

Why didn’t you say anything?

But this Castiel can’t hear him.

The scene dissolves into--

45

INT. ELLSWORTH’S HOUSE – NIGHT

Footage used from 6.20 THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING, of YOUNGER SAM AND DEAN and BOBBY around YOUNGER CASTIEL, who is surrounded by HOLY FIRE.

Dean, recognizing the scene, starts running a hand over his face, pacing restlessly.

YOUNGER DEAN

No, you had a choice. You just made the wrong one.

YOUNGER CASTIEL

You don’t understand. It’s complicated.

Dean CROSSES THE HOLY FIRE, and yells in the younger Castiel’s ear, all while his own counterpart is still talking--

DEAN

CAS! We’re running out of time! We have to go!

YOUNGER DEAN

No, actually, it’s not, and you know that. Why else would you keep this whole thing a secret, huh, unless you knew that it was wrong? When crap like this comes around, we deal with it... Like we always have. What we don’t do is we don’t go out and make another deal with the Devil!

YOUNGER CASTIEL

It sounds so simple when you say it like that. Where were you when I needed to hear it?

Our Dean reaches out and grasps at the lapels of YOUNGER CASTIEL’s trenchcoat--

YOUNGER DEAN

I was there. Where were you?

And we dissolve into--

46

INT. ABANDONED SHACK – DAY

The house in which Jack killed Nick, from 14.18 ABSENCE, in which YOUNGER DEAN is pacing after Mary’s death while YOUNGER SAM, YOUNGER CASTIEL and OUR DEAN watch--

YOUNGER DEAN

Who cares what Jack said? We don’t know what happened! But I swear, if he did something to her, if she is--

Our Dean starts PUNCHING THE WALLS, angry and grief-stricken and willing to tear apart Castiel’s mental torture chamber with his bare hands if he has to--

YOUNGER DEAN (CONT’D)

(pointing to Castiel)

Then you’re dead to me.

CLOSE ON OUR DEAN, who yells out in frustration as he punches THROUGH THE WALL and lets in a BEAM OF LIGHT--

YOUNGER SAM (O.C.)

Dean.

YOUNGER DEAN (O.C.)

No, he knew. He knew something was wrong with the kid. He knew it, and he didn’t tell us! He didn’t even tell us!

Dean hisses in pain. As he draws his arm back we see his KNUCKLES HAVE SPLIT. Then room shakes, and dissolves into--

47

INT. HOSPITAL – NIGHT

YOUNGER CASTIEL and YOUNGER DEAN watch on as YOUNGER SAM lies in bed, incapacitated. Set, make-up and costume to match 7.17 THE BORN-AGAIN IDENTITY. Castiel is stroking Sam’s forehead, looking miserable. Our Dean twists his head around-- disoriented again.

YOUNGER CASTIEL

I did this...

YOUNGER DEAN

Yeah, you did.

Our Dean starts PUMMELING THE WALLS again, yelling angrily as each punch makes contact with the wall--

DEAN

Come on you, Stupid! Son! Of! A! Bitch!

\--while the memory continues--

YOUNGER CASTIEL

I didn’t understand the pain it would cause you.

\--and the walls begin to break again, more light streaming through the walls, as our Dean YELLS--

DEAN

Where are you, Cas?!

YOUNGER DEAN

Who cares about me, man. Just fix Sam. You gotta.

\--and the light beams transition into--

48

EXT. PURGATORY – DAY

\--a forest. Purgatory. Modified footage from 15.09 THE TRAP, in which a (slightly) YOUNGER DEAN and YOUNGER CASTIEL regard each other. The foliage and surrounding scenery is scattered with BEAMS OF LIGHT-- Dean’s relentless onslaught is already taking root here--

ON OUR DEAN, in focus at the background of this shot. FURIOUS.

YOUNGER DEAN

Okay, Cas, I need to say something.

YOUNGER CASTIEL

You don’t have to say it. I heard your prayer.

DEAN

CASTIEL!!

He punches a tree trunk, and the beams of light burst through, dissolving the scene into--

49

INT. THE IMPALA – NIGHT

The interior of the Impala. Dean is sitting in the driver’s seat, with Castiel riding shotgun. Castiel’s costume matches 9.06 HEAVEN CAN’T WAIT-- but he’s OUR CASTIEL.

DEAN

Cas?

CASTIEL

Dean.

Dean looks at him... and recognizes the Castiel from his time. He laughs. Overwhelmed with relief.

DEAN

Cas, is it... really you? Because I’m gonna tell you right now, I don’t wanna start punching holes in Baby.

CASTIEL

Why would you...

Castiel squints at Dean in his trademark way, realizing something is wrong.

CASTIEL (CONT’D)

You’re not you. Not the right-you, anyway.

(he contemplates this, then--)

You’re not supposed to be here.

DEAN

(desperate)

Cas, you’re-- come on, snap out of it, man. Look, I don’t know how much time Michael has bought--

CASTIEL

Michael?

In the background, shafts of light begin shining on the car-- Castiel winces, and we shift to--

50

EXT. HOSPITAL – NIGHT

OUR DEAN is clutching the trenchcoat in a mirror of the scene from 7.17 THE BORN-AGAIN IDENTITY. He thrusts it towards OUR CASTIEL, now dressed as he was in that episode.

DEAN

Come on, Cas. We gotta go.

CASTIEL

(running his lines)

We didn’t part friends, Dean.

Dean’s face goes through a complex series of emotions... but now isn’t the time.

DEAN

That’s one way of putting it.

CASTIEL

(still robotic)

I was happy to die. And I need to atone for everything I did. So why are you even here?

DEAN

I’m here to save you. You know you don’t belong here.

Dean looks up as MORE LIGHT SHAFTS open up in the sky, a SCREECHING NOISE of ANGELIC GRACE echoes, and the scene dissolves into--

51

INT. HEAVEN’S GREEN ROOM – NIGHT

Heaven’s ‘Beautiful Room’, from 4.22 LUCIFER RISING. Dean and Castiel once again mirroring their body language from a previous time. The ANGELIC SCREECH is growing louder--

DEAN

(pleading, almost angry) 

Look at me!

He forces Castiel’s eyes back up to him, in exactly the same CLOSE SHOTS as in 4.22 LUCIFER RISING-- Beams of light are once again LIGHTING THEIR FACES--

DEAN (CONT’D)

You know it!

The scene shifts to--

52

INT. BOBBY’S HOUSE – LIVING ROOM – NIGHT

A copy of the scene in Bobby’s living room from the end of 4.22 LUCIFER RISING-- The lights are STILL shining brightly on their faces, the scene is almost entirely white-- A younger Chuck is in the background saying something--

\--but DEAN and CASTIEL don’t hear him-- the ANGELIC screech is too loud, and they are too busy staring at each other-- and the scene shifts again to--

53

INT. BARN – NIGHT

The barn from 4.01 LAZARUS RISING is OVEREXPOSED, all the lights SPARKING WILDLY overhead. CLOSE ON DEAN and CASTIEL, faces only inches apart.

CLOSE ON DEAN. Smiling, exhausted... but knowing Castiel is worth all of it\--

DEAN

What’s the matter, Cas? You don’t think you deserve to be saved?

CLOSE ON CASTIEL. EYES BRIGHT and focused entirely on Dean... in DIVINE REVELATION. The SCREECH CLIMAXES, and the BRIGHT LIGHT FLARES--

CUT TO:

54

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – STUDY – NIGHT

Jack suddenly scrambles to his feet, as a CRACK OF LIGHT begins to SPLIT the air in the middle of the room.

He shoves at Sam’s shoulder as he passes-- Rowena and Sam both jerk to consciousness in his wake, and stumble clumsily up from the mattresses--

JACK

It’s starting!

CUT TO:

55

INT. THE EMPTY – TOTAL DARKNESS

The Empty’s space is all but Swiss cheese, beams of light streaming through the darkness and more appearing every second. Michael circles The Empty, and they scuffle desperately. Michael wields an ARCHANGEL BLADE while The Empty works with its BLACK, OOZING KNIFE.

Suddenly, MASSES OF BLACK GOO appear out of the darkness-- several coagulate in the space around Michael and The Empty, and BODIES start being birthed from the twisted, oily cocoons. 

The Empty sees this happening, and SCREECHES with fury.

THE EMPTY

NO!

Dozens of bodies are scattered around, and Michael trips on one of them--

The Empty seizes the moment to knock his archangel blade aside--

And raises THE BLACK KNIFE--

THE EMPTY

ARGH!

But The Empty has been STABBED THROUGH FROM BEHIND-- and FALLS FORWARD to reveal the attacker, THE DEMON MEG--

MEG

(cool as a cucumber)

That’s for stealing my face, you bitch.

The Empty writhes on the floor, in agony.

MEG (CONT’D)

(to Michael)

We jettin’ or what?

RUBY (O.C.)

You!!!

Meg turns to see THE DEMON RUBY glaring at her.

MEG

Sister, we do not have time for this.

But even as she speaks, other demons and angels, coming into consciousness, are scrambling to their feet and launching themselves at each other in fury.

Michael sighs. In his most daunting COMMANDER OF HEAVEN voice--

MICHAEL

THE WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY IS SLIM. IF YOU WISH TO LEAVE THIS PLACE, THEN GO INTO THE LIGHT.

MEG

“Go into the light”? Kinda unoriginal, ain’t it?

Michael ignores her, seeing Dean and Castiel running towards him. Meg double-takes, then looks very pleased.

MEG (CONT’D)

Well, howdy, Clarence.

Castiel looks between Meg and The Empty, confused for a moment. Then the confusion clears, and he nods in acknowledgement.

CASTIEL

Meg.

Dean has a second to shoot Meg a murderous look, before--

A TEAR OF LIGHT opens up right beside Dean.

CLOSE ON THE EMPTY at Michael’s feet, crying out in pain--

THE EMPTY

N-no!

RUBY

Holy crap, is that the way outta here?

(to Castiel)

Guess you came through.

CASTIEL

I-- no. It was Dean.

RUBY

(grinning deliriously)

And I’d love to stay and thank him profusely, but I think I’m gonna take my leave while I can.

She dissolves into a BURST OF DEMONIC SMOKE-- and other demons and angels around her begin to turn into SWIRLING ANGEL GRACE and DEMONIC MIASMA with a GREAT RUSHING SOUND-- they INTERTWINE INTO A SINGLE STRAND OF LIGHT, and are all SUCKED INTO DEAN’S CHEST-- and then, straight out into the PORTAL.

DEAN

(to Michael, yelling over the rushing sound of wind)

We’re not gonna be-- sucked into Jack too, are we?

MICHAEL

No. He won’t absorb a fully human soul.

(to Castiel)

Do you understand?

CASTIEL

I-- yes. If that’s what it takes. And you?

MICHAEL

(stating the obvious)

It’s already spent. How do you think I cracked the Empty open in the first place?

Castiel closes his eyes briefly-- his face lit up by the light of the escaping angels and demons-- and opens his mouth. His own GRACE spirals out and joins the rest.

DEAN

Cas? CAS!

MICHAEL

It’s just his grace. He still has a soul. A fully-formed one, at that.

CASTIEL’S GRACE finishes leaving the Empty through Dean, momentarily lighting his chest up with a particularly vibrant glow.

ON CASTIEL, who is breathing heavily. Exhausted\-- but otherwise alive. 

BACK ON DEAN, and the long trail of GRACE AND MIASMA finally seems to RUN OUT--

Dean stares down as the remaining grace-light dims from his chest, and looks towards Michael for guidance.

DEAN

So we-- we can step through now? And we’ll be back?

MICHAEL

Theoretically.

DEAN

Theoretically?!

Behind Michael, The Empty groans and stumbles to its feet.

DEAN (CONT’D)

Crap, alright. Come on, Cas--

Dean grabs Castiel firmly and throws them both through the portal. Their figures are LIT UP by the portal light as they go.

Michael takes one look back at The Empty, stumbling towards him and shrieking in rage--

MICHAEL

I’m sorry.

\--and he STEPS THROUGH the portal, the LIGHT FLARING--

56

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – STUDY – NIGHT

CLOSE SHOT of Dean and Castiel, stumbling through the portal, Dean falling to his knees and Castiel catching him--

WIDE SHOT, as the last of the GRACE AND MIASMA exits out behind them and channels straight into JACK-- who is LIT UP with it, ABSORBING IT ALL-- chaotic winds are blowing through the room as energy swirls everywhere--

Meanwhile, Sam and Rowena stand by the table of ingredients, Rowena LIT UP with PURPLE LIGHT, her hair billowing out behind her as she raises her hands--

SAM

Dean? Cas!

ROWENA

\-- _prope hoc porta in aeternum_!

The portal SEALS SHUT, and with a rush ALL THE WIND AND LIGHT SUDDENLY FADES. 

JACK COLLAPSES FORWARDS, UNCONSCIOUS, and Castiel, Sam and Dean rush to his side.

DEAN

Jack?

CASTIEL

Jack? Are you okay?

SAM

Jack!!

Sam, Dean and Castiel look at each other in horror...

BLACKOUT.

END OF ACT FOUR

  


## 

  


ACT FIVE

57

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – INFIRMARY – DAY

ON JACK’S BODY, lying in an infirmary bed.

Castiel stands watch over him, gravely concerned. He hears a sound and looks up to see Michael-- now again in Adam’s body-- enter the infirmary.

CASTIEL

(slightly bitchy)

I was worried your soul wouldn’t want to return to that vessel.

MICHAEL

Don’t worry. My “soul”, such that it is, likes Adam much more than Dean.

Castiel seems mollified by this.

Michael strolls gracefully down the steps and into the infirmary.

MICHAEL (CONT’D)

(nodding to Jack)

How is he?

Castiel is unsure of how to interact with their newest ally. He squints at him briefly before returning his full attention to Jack. 

CASTIEL

He’s stable. For how long, I don’t know. 

MICHAEL

If we had our grace... 

He shakes his head, but doesn’t regret what needed to be done.

MICHAEL (CONT’D)

I admit, I am struggling to deal with the limits of human perception.

CASTIEL

(distracted)

The change can be... frustrating. When there are people you love that you can’t help anymore. But humanity has its benefits.

MICHAEL

Name one.

CASTIEL

The taste of burgers. The feeling of a warm bed after a long day.

(after a moment)

Knowing that things are even more beautiful, because both they and you are finite.

MICHAEL

I’d still take immortality.

CASTIEL

But you didn’t.

(utterly sincere)

Thank you for everything you did.

MICHAEL

I’m not as selfless as you think.

CASTIEL

Selfishness is an outstandingly human quality.

They stare at each other, and seem to come to some sort of an accord.

SAM (O.C.)

Hey, any progress?

Sam comes lumbering into the room, racing down the stairs far less gracefully than Michael had.

CASTIEL

No, nothing. There are no guidelines for this. Even when I took on the souls of Purgatory-- I am not Jack, and even if I were, the forces of Heaven and Hell are in a different league of power entirely.

SAM

I didn’t find anything in the lore about it either.

A beat, as they all look on Jack’s motionless form. Then, steeling himself, Castiel bites the bullet.

CASTIEL

Where’s Dean?

SAM

Sleeping. I think he would have blacked out right away-- his body might have been running on Earth time while he was in there.

CASTIEL

(half-disappointed, half-relieved)

Right. Perhaps resting is a good idea for all of us--

MICHAEL

(somber)

No. There won’t be time.

58

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – STUDY – DAY

MID SHOT of ROWENA, rifling through cabinets and drawers. Picking up ingredients of various types and then tossing them back in--

MICHAEL (V.O.)

Chuck will have seen what just happened.

59

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – DEAN’S ROOM – DAY

MID SHOT OF DEAN, lying upright on his bed. Still fully clothed. Jiggling his leg restlessly as he listens to music using his BIG BLACK HEADPHONES. He stares at the wall, deep in thought.

MICHAEL (V.O.) (CONT’D)

So, one way or another... the final fight is coming now.

Shot of Dean FLICKERS-- PULL BACK to reveal the shot as VIDEO ON CHUCK’S TELEVISION SCREEN--

60

INT. BEACH RESORT – DAY

PULL BACK continues to reveal MULTIPLE SCREENS, all surveying different rooms of the Bunker. As we pull back further and further, we see the back of CHUCK SHURLEY’S HEAD, resting against a couch.

MICHAEL (V.O.) (CONT’D)

And we need to be ready.

ANGLE ON CHUCK. He’s in a tropical t-shirt, sunglasses resting on his head. Tan lines around where the sunglasses have been on his face. Snacks and drinks scattered all around him. Chuck frowns at the screen. He stands up, crumbs falling to the floor-- and with a SNAP of one hand, he changes into a BURGUNDY SUIT. Tan lines and sunglasses gone. His other hand now holding a REMOTE CONTROL.

Chuck points the remote at the screen and hits the power button...

BLACKOUT.

TO BE CONTINUED...

  


## 


	3. 15.21 - Death of the Author

## 

  


SUPERNATURAL

EPISODE #1521

“Death of the Author”

  


TEASER

FADE IN:

1

EXT. STARRY LAKE – NIGHT

EXTREME WIDE SHOT of a SCENIC LAKE. Thousands of stars in the clear night sky. Those same constellations reflected on to a perfectly still lake. Cosmically beautiful.

CLOSE on a woman’s BARE FOOT-- stepping into the surface of the lake. The water ripples out from the point of contact. Her foot flattens and holds steady. Her other foot does the same... she’s WALKING ON WATER.

WIDEN OUT to reveal AMARA walking across the lake. Wearing her old BLACK DRESS.

CLOSE ON AMARA. Hesitating. Nose flaring slightly as she notices something.

AMARA

You’ve never known how to share.

PAN ACROSS to reveal CHUCK SHURLEY behind her, looking apologetic.

Amara turns to face him. Can’t believe his audacity.

CHUCK

Sorry. I might need your help.

AMARA

Help? You trapped me again. I thought things would be different, but now I know that you have always been the worst version of yourself.

CHUCK

Whoa. Harsh, sis.

AMARA

Only coming to me when you need me... and betraying me when it suits you. I see where the Winchesters get it from.

CHUCK

Hey, don’t compare me to them. They’re nothing, they’re a dust speck compared to me. I’m complex.

AMARA

(biting)

Of course you are.

CHUCK

You think just anyone could create entire worlds? Do you know how hard it is to juggle that many storylines, that many character arcs? All those universes full of syndication-worthy premises, and the only people who know the true extent of my genius don’t even appreciate it.

AMARA

I appreciate your creation, brother. I just don’t appreciate you. You might have created this world, but you have no right to end it.

(turning her back on Chuck)

And to answer your question; no. I’m not going to give you what you need.

CHUCK

(deep breath, then)

Wow. Wow. Okay.

Chuck CLICKS HIS FINGERS-- and Amara JERKS UP INTO THE AIR. Levitates above the water, CLUTCHING AT HER THROAT. Barely able to breathe. Staring at Chuck in wide-eyed shock.

CHUCK (CONT’D)

I guess you’re not willing to play nice. But I don’t need your consent. The power’s all mine now. And I’m not going to let you or anyone tell me how to end my story.

Amara chokes and struggles silently.

CLOSE ON CHUCK-- who blinks, revealing one GLOWING GOD EYE and one INKY DARKNESS EYE. We hear AMARA’s desperate gasps for air...

BLACKOUT.

END OF TEASER

  


## 

  


ACT ONE

2

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – LIBRARY – NIGHT

SAM WINCHESTER, DEAN WINCHESTER, ROWENA MACLEOD and MICHAEL are sitting in chairs around the library table. Sam and Rowena have books open in front of them, but neither are reading a word. Everyone is INCREDIBLY TENSE. The atmosphere resembles a hospital waiting room.

Then-- CASTIEL appears in the war room archway.

CASTIEL

He’s awake.

Everyone gets up at once-- but Castiel holds out a hand.

CASTIEL (CONT’D)

Maybe-- maybe one at a time. So we don’t overcrowd him.

(a beat)

I’m not sure how stable he is.

He looks for the briefest moment towards Dean, who he has otherwise avoided looking at... but it’s only a moment. His eyes land on the other Winchester instead.

CASTIEL (CONT’D)

Sam?

Sam, expecting Dean to be the first pick, is a little confused. But he dutifully follows Castiel out. Michael, Rowena and Dean are left standing awkwardly in their wake.

ROWENA

(to Dean, incredulous)

I thought you two were going to sort it out.

DEAN 

(muttering)

Don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.

ROWENA

In all my time on Earth-- and indeed, in all my time in Hell-- I have NEVER met anyone as thick-witted as you, Dean Winchester!

Dean looks at Michael, but he’s no help. He just stares back at Dean. Hawk-like.

DEAN

(mostly to himself)

Great.

Despite Castiel’s instructions, he gets up to follow Castiel and Sam to the infirmary--

3

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – INFIRMARY – NIGHT 

WIDE SHOT of Castiel and Sam, standing over JACK KLINE in an infirmary bed. Composition should be fairly painterly (think ‘[Washington on his Deathbed](https://images.fineartamerica.com/images/artworkimages/mediumlarge/1/george-washington-on-his-deathbed-war-is-hell-store.jpg)’ by Junius Brutus Stearns).

Jack looks up, and seeing Dean at the stairwell, beams.

JACK

Dean!

Castiel follows Jack’s gaze to Dean, standing casually at the top of the stairs. Castiel-- unlike Jack-- is pissed.

Dean ignores him. Walks down the stairs to the infirmary beds. Wastes no time getting down to business.

DEAN

Kid, you think you can hold this power? How long we got?

JACK

I’m--

CASTIEL

(mildly, but with steel behind it)

Dean, could you give him a second?

DEAN

No time for bedside manner, Cas. God’s probably about to go full Alderaan on our asses.

CASTIEL

(openly angry now) 

We’ll have even less time if we create a-- an unwelcoming home environment.

A beat, as Sam and Dean react to that statement.

DEAN

I’m not being unwelcoming. Who’s being unwelcoming?

Dean and Cas glare at each other. Sam ignores their bickering, instead frowning down at their would-be patient.

SAM

Dean’s right though, Jack. We need to know how you feel. If you think you can handle this.

JACK

(as agreeable and calm as ever)

I think so. It’s odd. I don’t feel like anything’s different.

Jack holds up his hand, examining it curiously. A single spark of YELLOW MAGIC flies out-- the others FLINCH. But nothing else happens.

JACK (CONT’D)

See?

Sam, Dean and Castiel look at each other warily.

CASTIEL

Don’t try anything else. We’ll get Rowena to look at you.

(to Sam, avoiding Dean’s gaze)

Stay here and watch him.

DEAN

(abruptly)

I’ll go with you.

Castiel flinches. A beat.

CASTIEL

...Fine.

They walk out of the room together into the corridor--

4

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – CORRIDORS – NIGHT

\--and then Dean SWINGS AROUND to face Cas.

DEAN

Cas, listen, I gotta--

CASTIEL

(ice cold)

Do you really think this is an appropriate time, Dean?

Dean is completely thrown by this response. Castiel seems to regret it for a second, but not enough to make him stay. He strides away towards...

5

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – LIBRARY – NIGHT

...the library. As soon as Castiel enters, Rowena and Michael look up, alert. Dean enters soon after Castiel, moving past him in the doorway. Face stormy. Leaving as much space as possible between them as he does.

CASTIEL

Rowena, we need you to assess the situation. He seems stable, but...

He trails off, face full of barely-concealed fear. Rowena doesn’t need telling twice.

ROWENA

Lead the way.

She gets up to leave, following Castiel back out of the room. We’re left with Dean and Michael, simmering in silence. Michael watching Dean with vague curiosity. Dean pacing up and down the floor, restless. Barely stopping himself from punching something. 

A moment passes as Michael observes his behavior, and then finally comments.

MICHAEL

How did you self-sabotage this time?

DEAN

Don’t.

MICHAEL

I’ve just been inside your head. There’s no point hiding from me.

DEAN

(vicious)

I’d rather take my thoughts to a shrink than a sanctimonious prick like you. You feelin’ like you need a new job now you’re a defeathered duster, or what? Get a hobby like the rest of us.

MICHAEL

Hm. You know what I’ll miss most about being an archangel?

DEAN

(thrown by this non sequitur)

What?

MICHAEL

It’s not the power, or the status, or even the ability to pulverize anyone that irritated me into atoms.

DEAN

(sarcastic)

No?

MICHAEL

No. It’s having Adam’s thoughts in my mind, making biting retorts to your witticisms that only I could hear.

DEAN

(bitter)

Well, you know me. Happy to provide the entertainment.

MICHAEL

I suppose that is one way of seeing it. Indeed, I do not remember seeing the Heavenly Host so intrigued by a human since Jesus Christ.

DEAN

Jesus Christ? Now you’re just flattering me, Mike.

(gesturing at his torso)

I hope you’re not just angling to get back in here, because it ain’t happening.

MICHAEL

It is no flattery. Jesus of Nazareth was a charismatic prophet, yes. He influenced humanity greatly. But you... you have had a far greater impact. For instance, you are directly or indirectly responsible for more angelic deaths than any other person in all of Creation.

Dean blinks. Completely unnerved by that description.

DEAN

...Run that by me again?

MICHAEL

The greatest wars of Heaven were fought in your name, Dean. Under me, under Castiel... in a few short years, you nearly wiped out an entire species.

DEAN

(reckoning with this)

But that wasn’t all-- for me. I mean, that was about-- the apocalypse, heavenly politics, and so on...

MICHAEL

For you, because of you... as Adam would say, “whatever helps you sleep at night”. I, of course, found this statement ludicrous whenever he said it, since neither of us could sleep in the Cage.

DEAN

(still stuck on the previous thing)

I-- I never asked-- and the angels were the ones who wanted to mess with us. Wipe out humanity.

MICHAEL

Yes. And humanity was saved, time and time again, because you refused to let that happen.

DEAN

If you think I regret saving this world--

MICHAEL

You misunderstand my tone. Having seen the path of my alternate self, having seen the Apocalypse World through your memories-- having seen this world through Adam’s memories... I am merely explaining why the war was fought, not debating the merit of your cause.

DEAN

Uh, sure. Glad to know you see it our way.

MICHAEL

Tell me, Dean. What does it feel like to grieve?

DEAN

What d’you mean? I dunno, man. Sad, I guess. Like there’s a hole in your heart.

(back to safe, aggressive waters)

D’you even have one of those?

MICHAEL

Physically, yes. Metaphorically... I know I am filled with regret, and anger. At what my Father deprived us of. At my brothers and sisters, lost before most of them could understand free will. Before they could understand the truth of our Father, and find themselves without Him. I am even angry for the other worlds, and all those beings wiped from existence.

DEAN

Well, that’s why we’re fighting Chuck, isn’t it? To right some of those wrongs. As many as we can.

MICHAEL

Yes. If there were anyone left to pray to... I would pray that we succeed.

Dean regards Michael warily, but nods. He has a tentative understanding of Michael. A comradeship in its infancy, forged in fire.

DEAN

Yeah. Me too, pal.

6

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – INFIRMARY – NIGHT 

Back to the infirmary, where Castiel has resumed his solemn vigil at Jack’s bedside. Sam is sitting next to Jack in a chair, scrolling on his laptop. Searching his databases for anything that might help. Rowena hangs back, and peers over the balcony. She looks skittish.

ROWENA

You are sure it’s safe to come down? I don’t particularly want to be caught in a Nephilim-induced explosion.

JACK

I feel... non-explosive. Although I still can’t seem to use the power from the Empty.

ROWENA

I’m surprised you’re holding up this well.

Satisfied with her safety for now, Rowena delicately tip-toes down the stairs. Sam puts away his laptop and stands up to join her at the foot of Jack’s bed.

SAM

Maybe he isn’t. I mean, who knows what’s going on inside him? When Death put up a wall in my mind, I felt fine until it started... disintegrating.

ROWENA

We shall just have to take a deeper look.

She rolls up her sleeves, and fluffs out her hair on either side of her head.

ROWENA (CONT’D)

Just a warning, boys-- this really isn’t my area of expertise. It’s less of a delicate medical procedure and more me sticking my head into hot water and letting you know whether my burns are first, second or third degree.

CASTIEL

If there’s anything I can do--

ROWENA

I’ll let you know. Now clear some space, I need to examine the boy.

Sam and Castiel hastily step back, as Rowena extends her arms out over Jack. Her eyes GLOW PURPLE and she starts whispering in Latin under her breath.

ROWENA

 _Exponere sanguinem et ossa..._

On Castiel and Sam, who have a quiet conversation behind her-- neither looking away from Jack, even as they talk--

CASTIEL

I wish I could help. Being human, it’s so-- so limiting.

SAM

You did what you had to, Cas.

ROWENA 

_...ostende mihi, quod iacet intra puer..._

CASTIEL 

If we lose him because I couldn’t--

SAM

We won’t lose him.

ROWENA

 _...revelare quomodo spiritus ex angeli et daemones requiem_!

A puff of purple smoke, and Rowena’s head TILTS BACK. Jack and Rowena’s eyes both FLARE WITH BRIGHT WHITE LIGHT.

Rowena starts SCREAMING-- Sam rushes to support her, as Castiel leans down before Jack.

SAM

Rowena?!

CASTIEL

Jack!

But then, almost as soon as the screaming stars, it stops.

On Jack, and Castiel supporting him from his right side. The light has faded from Jack’s eyes, and he looks puzzled.

CASTIEL (CONT’D)

Are you alright?

JACK

(mildly confused)

Yes. I feel fine.

Meanwhile, Rowena is RIGID-- STARING up at the ceiling, unmoving even as Sam shakes her--

SAM

Rowena, Rowena-- can you hear me?

Rowena’s wide-open eyes are glassy. UNSEEING. There’s an anxious moment, where it looks like she might be blinded-- but then, her head tilts down and her vision focuses again. Dazed, tired... but otherwise unharmed.

ROWENA

I’m fine. Just a bit of a-- a shock. I knew what I was getting into, but experiencing it was-- well. Unlike anything else.

SAM

What did you see?

ROWENA

It’s a complicated mess in there. And I don’t rightly know how the boy is holding it together. But I think he’s managed by-- compartmentalizing.

Jack frowns. Not sure what she’s getting at himself.

JACK

Compartmentalizing?

ROWENA

Yes. Angels and demons, they have-- you might call them souls. Separate to their grace or miasma, mind. That’s why an angel can steal the grace of other angels without absorbing their personality and memories along with it.

CASTIEL

I wasn’t aware that angels had any kind of soul. Such a statement would be considered blasphemous.

ROWENA

Well, they’re not proper human souls. More like prototypes. The difference between an old man and a newborn-- an average angelic or demonic soul is less developed than that contained in a human fetus. Like a seed to an oak tree.

CASTIEL 

And how is it that you know so much about this?

Rowena smiles at Castiel. Slightly condescending. Not the first man who has underestimated the true reach of her knowledge and ability.

ROWENA

Once upon a time I was very interested in whatever it was that you all did to Fergus to make him so... pliant.

SAM

Human blood. That gave him a soul?

ROWENA

I think that blood acted a bit like Miracle-Gro on a sapling. And, well... Fergus always was soft, even as a demon.

SAM

So, some angels and demons have half-developed souls. But what does this have to do with Jack?

ROWENA

Well, what the clever boy has done is separate the souls from their power.

JACK

I... don’t remember doing that. I didn’t know any of this.

ROWENA

It’s likely you did it subconsciously. Something like an automatic defense mechanism, a magical immune system response. Whatever the cause, the result is that you’ve filtered the souls and separated them from the grace and miasma. The power inside you right now is almost completely pure.

CASTIEL

And as a consequence, the souls have no power with which to influence or damage him.

ROWENA

Well, not at the moment. But it’s a fairly delicate wall holding back those souls. One I wouldn’t want to shake too hard.

SAM

But if Jack can contain that power--

ROWENA

The problem isn’t in his capability to hold that power. It’s the potential of the-- well, shall we say, troublemakers.

SAM

What, like-- like archangels? Gabriel, Lucifer?

ROWENA

I couldn’t say for sure. But there seem to be more than just angels and demons contained in the Empty. Powerful creatures, of an earthly origin. If I had to guess, I’d say they were monstrous in nature.

CASTIEL

Why would monsters be in the Empty?

Sam turns suddenly to Castiel--

SAM

Unless-- Cas, monsters can die in Purgatory right? What if the monsters that die there get sent to the Empty?

CASTIEL

And perhaps they escaped through Dean at the same time as the others. The Leviathans, then? Jack holds them too?

ROWENA

I’m not sure what a Leviathan feels like, and I’m not sure I want to know. But I certainly felt some powerful, vicious beasts inside him. Honestly, boys, I got barely the faintest impression of what was going on. It was like standing in the middle of a tornado for a moment and trying to identify what kinds of debris were caught up in the vortex.

SAM

But do you think you can control the tornado? Redirect it towards Chuck?

Rowena hesitates, staring down at Jack.

ROWENA

I suppose it’s time to test my claim to the title of Most Powerful Witch, isn’t it?

JACK

Should-- I mean, should Sam and Cas stay in this room? What if something goes wrong?

ROWENA

I know what I’m doing, and how much to take. The only risk will be to me.

JACK

So you-- you could die?

ROWENA

Well, yes. But that’s a price we all pay every day in the name of Winchester, isn’t it?

(to Sam and Castiel)

Still, the boy has a point. You might want to stand a wee bit further back, just in case.

The two men obediently back away from the bed, and Rowena flexes out her arms again.

ROWENA (CONT’D)

Now, Jack, try not to squirm. I promise this will only be uncomfortable for a moment--

She waves her hands in the air, and both Jack and Rowena’s eyes GLOW-- tendrils of light purple mist extend out from both of their bodies. Then BOOM! The tendrils CONNECT, and COALESCE into a THICK ROPE OF POWER.

ROWENA (CONT’D)

 _Tueri domum cum virtute procellas_!

The ROPE GLOWS WHITE, and then Rowena WHIPS OUT her RIGHT ARM towards the back wall-- channeling the power from Jack, it COLLIDES into the brickwork. A BLAST OF POWER STARBURSTS around the impact zone.

Sam and Castiel belatedly shield their eyes against the glare, but Sam is already moving forwards towards Rowena--

SAM

Rowena!?

The light fades, to reveal A GLOWING LIGHTNING SIGIL, carved into the wall.

ON JACK, GASPING. Castiel rushes once more to his side... the light fades from Jack’s eyes. He looks up at Rowena as his breathing slows.

ON ROWENA, a faint glow of purple still around her eyes. Smirking. Victorious.

7

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – LIBRARY – NIGHT

Dean and Michael hear the sounds of footsteps, and turn to see Castiel race back into the room.

CASTIEL

It’s-- it’s going to work. 

He breaks into a huge smile, and Dean can’t help but grin too.

DEAN

Seriously?

CASTIEL

Rowena can do it. She can still direct his energy into her own magic, even with all the Empty’s power in him.

DEAN

I-- I can’t believe it.

Dean and Castiel move towards each other, still smiling... and then sway to a stop just before they go in to hug. The joyful expressions flicker. Both men hover on the threshold... uncertain.

DEAN (CONT’D)

Cas. Uh, can we? 

CASTIEL

I don’t know if that’s--

DEAN

Please.

Castiel only has to give the slightest nod before Dean is GRABBING HIS ARM and pulling him away.

ON MICHAEL, watching them go.

Castiel follows Dean into...

8

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – GALLEY – NIGHT

...the kitchen, where Dean turns suddenly-- and in the process almost collides into Castiel. A beat, as the two once again sway together. As though pulled by gravity.

Dean stares at Castiel’s chest for a moment, before looking up into his eyes--

DEAN

Okay, I just-- need to say this, alright?

Castiel is agonized. He looks away from Dean’s face. Doesn’t want to see the answer he thinks is there.

DEAN (CONT’D)

I-- you can’t just do that. Don’t you ever sacrifice yourself like that for me again. Promise me if Chuck tries something, you’ll stay back.

CASTIEL

(moody, defiant)

I’m not going to promise anything.

DEAN

You’re human now, Cas!

CASTIEL

(caustic)

Sorry for not being more useful.

DEAN

Useful?!--

Dean takes a deep breath. Willing himself not to go down the same path he always goes down.

Castiel watches him. Angry with rejection he’s perceiving in Dean’s words.

DEAN (CONT’D)

Cas, I can’t--

CASTIEL

I know. I didn’t say it--

DEAN

(interrupting, frantic)

No, I can’t, I can’t-- I can’t do it right now, alright, because--

Suddenly Castiel SEIZES the front of DEAN’S SHIRT--

ON DEAN, eyes flicking down, then BACK TO CASTIEL, mouth slightly open with shock--

But Castiel isn’t looking at him-- he THROWS DEAN ASIDE and puts himself between Dean and--

ANGLE TO REVEAL CHUCK. Standing in the corner of the kitchen. Faintly amused.

CHUCK

Don’t stop on my account. I mean, it’s not great work, whatever you’re doing. Dialogue isn’t exactly profound. Hugely entertaining to watch though.

Dean and Castiel stare back. Painfully aware they don’t have Jack around to protect them.

CHUCK (CONT’D)

What, no make-out? No fist-fight? You gotta give me something.

DEAN

Screw you.

CHUCK

Hm. Not really in the habit of sleeping with my leading men, but I admit the thought is--

CASTIEL

(yelling to the others)

CHUCK’S HERE.

Chuck, Dean and Castiel look towards the corridors and hear scuffling--

CHUCK

Oh, come on. I wanted a little time alone with the entrée before mains.

Michael enters, stopping short at the doorway. Glaring at Chuck.

MICHAEL

Father.

CHUCK

You know, I never saw you as a glee club kind of kid, but here we are, huh?

Michael advances on Chuck, wielding his archangel blade--

But Chuck STOPS HIM with no effort, Michael seemingly frozen against his will--

CHUCK (CONT’D)

Oh, Michael. Don’t hurt yourself. 

Off Dean and Cas, also frozen mid-movement-- eyes wide--

CHUCK (CONT’D)

(with a sly smile)

And you really are looking even more hurt-able today. Who would have thought the great Michael would one day be down with the mud monkeys he reviled?

(mostly to himself)

That’s good, actually. I should have written that. I mean you’re sort of copying off Castiel’s homework, but--

(with a pitying glance at the gathered men)

\--Maybe I’ll use that in my next epic.

(grimacing)

On the other hand, it’s a bit ‘Twilight’ isn’t it? Angels literally falling in love. It’s been done. Too cliché, too Young Adult. No wonder I didn’t write that cra--

Suddenly a BURST OF PURPLE LIGHT, and ROWENA, SAM and JACK stand in an unoccupied section of the kitchen. JACK and ROWENA both with GLOWING EYES.

CHUCK (CONT’D)

Oh, finally! I was worried you guys weren’t gonna show. Always awkward when you send out those Facebook invites and you never know if people are really coming.

Everyone stares at Chuck as he rambles.

CHUCK (CONT’D)

(to Jack)

No? Not even the would-be Zoomer? I guess your dads never let you have any friends...

JACK

(quietly confident)

It’s over, Chuck.

CHUCK

Mm. See, I don’t think it is.

He SNAPS his fingers, and the party--

9

EXT. KELLY’S CABIN – TWILIGHT

\--appears at the place where Jack was born. The location looks much the same, (using the cabin model from 12.23 ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER as a reference). At some point it seems the tree has been hit by a storm; it lies broken in half, the severed top of the tree sticking out of the lake. It’s a beautiful evening. The sun has set, but the sky is still light enough to be streaked with vibrant colors.

Chuck turns to survey the location, pleased.

CHUCK

That bunker of yours-- it was useful, and all, but you gotta have a showdown somewhere cinematic. Somewhere epic. No-- poetic. And what could be more poetic than Jack Kline dying where he was born?

He turns back towards the others. All six standing, united against him. TEAM FREE WILL 3.0.

Rowena steps forward, and thrusts out an arm, her eyes glowing purple as she draws power from Jack.

ROWENA

(shrill)

You won’t touch a hair on his head! _Interficiam catenis_!

The spell currently binding Dean, Castiel and Michael is broken-- as they realize this, they all advance on Chuck.

OFF CHUCK. Not intimidated at all. Mildly entertained.

CHUCK

I don’t need to touch him. I just need to touch you.

Chuck reaches out and waves a hand at Rowena-- who doubles over, in shock and pain, as her PURPLE MAGIC starts swirling around her chest-- and then Jack, too, sinks to his knees with a scream--

The others react with shock--

SAM

No!!

DEAN

Drop them, you son of a bitch!

Chuck raises his hand to snap his fingers, but before he can do anything, Michael comes out of NOWHERE, and FULL BODY TACKLES CHUCK--

\--sending them both flying to the ground, sand and dirt thrown up in a cloud around them.

QUICK CUTS as the two grapple on the ground. Michael momentarily manages to gain the upper hand, getting in a few punches... but then Chuck PUSHES HIM BACK--

\--and sends Michael FLYING through the air away from him.

CHUCK

Really??

Chuck stands to his feet, dusting off his EXPENSIVE MAROON SUIT as he advances on Michael. Irritated. Really irritated.

CHUCK (CONT’D)

Alright, I was going to humor your dream of defeating me for a bit longer. I might have even let you watch the end of the show. But now you’re just getting on my nerves.

He summons an ENOCHIAN SPEAR up from the ground, that PIERCES THROUGH MICHAEL’S CHEST. Michael GASPS.

OFF DEAN, and Castiel standing behind him. Both silently shocked.

Then Michael starts laughing.

CHUCK

What?

MICHAEL

(between coughing up blood)

I spent... years. Millennia. Making them... love you. Believing you’d come back. Love me... for what I did.

CHUCK

And?

MICHAEL

I didn’t... need your love. I just didn’t realize until... 

CHUCK

Alright, whatever.

He spears Michael THROUGH THE HEAD with another pointed rod summoned up from the earth. 

ROWENA

 _Manete_! _Manete_!

But Michael is DEAD... his body lies IMPALED above the ground, his arms lying limp on either side of him. 

CHUCK

One down.

(turning to the others)

Three to go.

Dean immediately puts himself between Castiel and Chuck, while Sam does the same for Rowena and Jack. 

CLOSE ON CHUCK-- who just grins. There’s nothing they can do to stop him...

BLACKOUT.

END OF ACT ONE

  


## 

  


ACT TWO

10

EXT. KELLY’S CABIN – TWILIGHT

ON CHUCK, crossing his arms. Casually considering his options. Picking the next ice-cream flavor to sample.

Then to Sam and Dean-- widening into a BATTLE STANCE. For all the good it will do them.

CHUCK

So, who’s next... Queer Eye, Wesley Crusher, or Sabrina the Ageing Bitch?

Rowena scowls and starts an incantation, but—

ROWENA

 _Laedere--_

\--Chuck cuts her off with a WAVE OF HIS HAND, and--

ANGLE ON ROWENA, lips sealed shut by magic.

Chuck waggles his finger at her.

CHUCK

Uh, uh, uh. No, I don’t think so.

He turns slightly. Now orating to all of them.

CHUCK (CONT’D)

I honestly don’t know how you guys are so dumb. I mean Dean is one thing, but Sam. Really, I expected better of you. You got a scholarship to law school.

Off Sam and Dean, glaring at Chuck. Knowing full well every tragedy in their life is likely thanks to him.

CHUCK (CONT’D)

I mean, you guys knew I was watching you! You knew I was listening! And I told you! You can get all the angels and demons outta hell you want. I’m God, and now that I have Amara’s power? No matter what you try, it will never be enough.

(gesturing towards Jack)

So yeah, I can’t kill Cousin Oliver here, but as long as I’m not trying to do anything fancy with the special effects... I’m gonna keep being God. 

DEAN

Go to hell.

CHUCK

(embarrassed for him)

Wow, you really lose any eloquence when I’m not around, huh? ‘Go to hell’ this, ‘screw you’ that. Anyway, you guys are missing the real fun tidbit here, which is this--

He makes another flicking motion-- and Rowena FLINCHES AND GASPS IN PAIN-- and JACK GOES FLYING-- landing against the BROKEN TREE TRUNK. HEAVY IMPACT. He falls to the ground in front of it. SLUMPED OVER. HEAD BLEEDING.

CASTIEL

JACK!

CHUCK

Yeah, so... that whole witchy condom of power thing goes both ways.

ON CASTIEL, murderous-- and Dean, silently warning him not to react...

Then Chuck looks at Rowena.

CHUCK (CONT’D)

What am I going to do with you? You know I always preferred your son, but even he had to fall for the whole Winchester shtick--

And he chokes her again, but this time her agony is silent, wordless-- we see her eyes bulging in terror and pain--

CHUCK (CONT’D)

At least you had better taste in men than he did.

And with a CRACK-- Rowena’s back breaks. Her body falls over in a slump. DEAD.

SAM

NO!!!

Chuck sighs. Disappointed at how easy it was to kill her. He turns back to the final rogue element, Castiel--

OFF DEAN, helpless to stop him. Edging closer and closer towards Castiel in a fruitless attempt to protect him...

CHUCK

They say you should kill your darlings.

He flicks another finger and Castiel goes FLYING THROUGH THE AIR... past Jack’s body and straight into the LAKE. He lands with a huge SPLASH--

CHUCK (CONT’D)

Man, he was fun for a while, but I shouldn’t have brought him back after the Apocalypse. Tried killing him again, of course. Remember the Leviathan thing? The drama, the buildup, the lake exit, I thought I was being nice. More than he deserved, really. But things got kinda boring without him--

He looks to Dean--

CHUCK (CONT’D)

I mean you just started doing whatever I told you to. No excitement, no intrigue...

OFF DEAN, eyes flicking desperately between Chuck and the lake--

CHUCK (CONT’D)

Ah, whatever. What’s that saying about a bird and a fish falling in love?

(pleased with himself)

Well, Castiel is sleeping with the fishes now.

Dean stares at Chuck for a heartbeat-- and then in an instant, he’s turned away and is SPRINTING TOWARDS THE LAKE. But he doesn’t get far before--

CHUCK (CONT’D)

Nope!

Chuck raises another SPIKE through the ground, spearing through Dean’s LEFT CALF-- he SCREAMS in agony as it RIPS THROUGH HIS FLESH.

OFF SAM, shouting in horror.

SAM

Stop! We’ll give you whatever you want!

CHUCK

But you are. This is what I want. Just you two, alone, two brothers together at the end of the world. No distractions, no complications-- just the tragedy of knowing you’re all that’s left, and that you failed to save anyone.

Chuck makes a casual gesture.

ANOTHER spike goes through Dean’s RIGHT HAND-- RAISING it outwards from his chest--Then his LEFT HAND and RIGHT LEG, and now he’s fully CRUCIFIED--

Meanwhile Sam calculates whether he can make it to Dean’s side, whether it’s worth incurring Chuck’s displeasure--

\--and ONE LAST SPIKE goes THROUGH DEAN’S BACK--

Dean groans. Blood is spilling profusely from his wounds, particularly around the spike in his chest.

Sam runs to his side. Heedless of Chuck now, just needing to reach his brother...

CHUCK (CONT’D)

You know what? I’m going to take a step back now. Leave you two to simmer in desperation a bit more.

He summons his LA-Z-BOY and a table topped with an OVERFLOWING POPCORN CARTON to the PORCH OF THE CABIN, and makes his way leisurely towards his seat. Hops onto the recliner. Grabs a fistful of popcorn.

CHUCK (CONT’D)

I’m honestly gonna miss those angsty Winchester car conversations, so have at it. One last round, before I kill you both.

CLOSE ON DEAN. Looking up at Sam. Face taut with pain.

CLOSE ON SAM. Cradling Dean’s face, crying and shaking his head. Unwilling to acknowledge that the wound is fatal...

A WIDE HIGH ANGLE of the scene...

MATCH CUT TO:

11

EXT. KELLY’S CABIN/LAKE – DAWN

WIDE HIGH ANGLE on the same setting and shot, but the time of day has shifted. The tree by the lake is whole and living. Everything has a slightly dreamy quality. Color grading emphasizes blues, pinks and purples. And one figure standing alone in the middle of the space...

ON JACK, walking towards the tree and looking around.

JACK

Hello?

We get a POV of Jack’s back-- camera crests up and over the hill to reveal CASTIEL, curled up near the shoreline. Knees tucked into his chest. Staring vacantly out to the distant mountains.

JACK (CONT’D)

Cas.

CASTIEL

Are we dead?

JACK

Shouldn’t you know that kind of thing?

CASTIEL

(matter-of-fact)

It’s harder, as a human. But I don’t think this is my Heaven.

He turns his head back towards Jack. Frowning. Piecing it together.

CASTIEL (CONT’D)

A dream, then.

JACK

I think so.

CASTIEL

Are Sam and Dean--

A pause, as Castiel thinks. He comes to a conclusion, and shakes his head. He’d know if they were.

CASTIEL (CONT’D)

No. not yet.

Jack sits down cross-legged beside Castiel at the water’s edge.

JACK

I thought I could beat him. I--

His voice breaks, and he starts sobbing as he admits:

JACK (CONT’D)

I failed, Cas. I failed them.

CASTIEL

You didn’t fail them. Jack.

JACK

(inconsolable)

I failed.

CASTIEL

Jack, look at me.

Jack does, sniffing-- trying to hold his tears back.

CASTIEL (CONT’D)

You didn’t fail. You stayed true to yourself. You--

Castiel’s voice is breaking too now. He reaches his arms around Jack and HUGS HIM TIGHT--

CLOSE ON JACK. His head leaning against Castiel’s chest. Crying silently.

CASTIEL (CONT’D)

It’s not your fault. 

JACK

Then why does it feel like it is?

CASTIEL

I think that’s the Winchester in you. Taking on responsibility for the whole world.

They separate, and Jack looks up at Cas. No longer crying, but still frustrated and upset. 

JACK

I thought that was my responsibility. You thought I was meant to save us. Save all of them.

CASTIEL

(regretful)

I never meant that to be a burden.

JACK

(bitter)

You were wrong about me.

CASTIEL

I’m sorry. Jack, all I ever wanted was your happiness.

Castiel pauses, closing his eyes. A father’s request for forgiveness.

CASTIEL (CONT’D)

I’m sorry I didn’t give you a better life. I could only offer you what little I had.

JACK 

(backing up immediately)

No, Cas. I wouldn’t change anything. I love them. I love you. I’m grateful for what you gave me.

Castiel smiles at Jack-- a smile filled with every ounce of love and gratitude in his soul. Then he looks out at the horizon.

CASTIEL 

If we are dying, or dead, I’m glad we’re in this place, whatever it is. When I was in the Empty, all I was allowed was my own regret. Here, I feel like I’m at peace. But...

His face is tense, and he looks down in shame.

CASTIEL (CONT’D)

You deserved more. You deserved a life. Years of it.

JACK

So did you.

CASTIEL

(a little surprised)

Me? I’ve lived for millennia.

JACK

But how many of them were spent being happy? Not jumping from one problem to another because of something Chuck wrote?

CASTIEL

(wistfully)

I don’t think that would be possible.

JACK

How do you know, if you never had the chance?

Castiel looks back at Jack. He appreciates the thought, but... what difference would it make now?

CUT TO:

12

EXT. KELLY’S CABIN – NIGHT

ON DEAN, breathing heavily. Clearly in pain. Beginning to fade from blood loss. But determined to say what he can to Sam first. 

DEAN

And I... wanted to say I’m sorry we’re... going out like this. Although that’s really...

(under his breath)

...his fault...

CHUCK

No! Act like I’m not here!

SAM

(to Chuck, as frustrated actor to director)

Can you at least heal him?

CHUCK

What? No! You guys don’t say this stuff unless you’re at that sweet spot of almost-dead. Come on, I can keep him going for as long as we need. I’m God, remember? 

SAM

(muttering)

This is ridiculous.

CHUCK

I can hear you! If you two don’t start putting your back into it, I’ll make a shish kebab out of Sam too!

Dean is very scared by that prospect. He starts stumbling through his dying confessions again--

DEAN

Okay, okay. Confessions. Um, Sam-- Sammy. Did I ever tell you... Did I ever tell you that night that, uh... that I came for you when you were at school? You know, when dad hadn’t come back from his hunting trip? Yeah, um... Uh...

CHUCK

(calling out from his chair) 

The Woman in White!

DEAN

(bitterly, still trying to make this private)

The Woman in White. That’s right.

(a beat, as he takes a breath)

I must have stood outside your dorm for hours... because I didn’t know what... What you would say. I thought you’d tell me to... to get lost. Or get dead. And I don’t know what I would’ve done... if I didn’t have you. ’Cos I was so scared.

SAM

(anguished)

Dean...

DEAN

And... can I tell you something else? I don’t think I... even liked hunting that much, but then... I loved it. Because I got to do it with you. My baby brother.

(he grins, apologetic)

Sorry. I know you hate that. But you’ll always be Sammy to me.

Chuck STANDS UP, breaking the moment-- he punches the air, whooping.

CHUCK

YES! That’s what I’m talking about!

Dean winces as his grip on life drains slowly out of him. He grimaces with pain.

Sam glares at Chuck, then looks back at Dean, upset.

SAM

Dean...

DEAN

S’okay, Sammy. Don’t give him the-- the satisfaction. I wanna... I wanna be at peace.

SAM

I’m not gonna let you die.

DEAN

(chuckling weakly)

I don’t think we got a choice in this.

(then, regretful)

You should have gotten a happy life, Sam. A normal life. A dog, a wife... a kid. M’sorry I took you away from that. 

SAM

What if normal’s not what I want, Dean?

Dean barely has the energy for a reply, but he gives Sam a look. Huh?

And Sam straightens up from where he’s been leaning over Dean-- addresses Chuck directly, half-YELLING across the open space--

SAM (CONT’D)

You want a confession? Here it is. You said you didn’t write the demon blood stuff into the books, right?

CHUCK

(confused)

I mean, yeah. You guys did bizarre, unsympathetic crap all on your own.

Sam grins. Triumphant that he’s found freedom from Chuck’s characterization.

SAM

Right. Well, that’s who I am.

CHUCK

What, a junkie?

SAM

No, I mean I’m not-- normal. Even when I was at Stanford, I felt like I didn’t fit in. I was never going to be happy being normal.

(to Dean)

And I tried, Dean! When you were in Purgatory, I tried to be good with Amelia, but it was only because you wanted me to do that!

CHUCK

(to himself)

Oh yeah, okay. This is even better.

SAM

(angry, back at Chuck)

And I think I deserve a chance to find out what I want to be without anyone imposing their ideas on to me!

(looking at Dean)

We both do.

Chuck sighs. Tired of all this fourth-wall breaking.

CHUCK

Mm. Okay, a few notes, love the anger, love the conflict, but really feel like we should make this more about you two--

SAM

No, Chuck. I’m not playing your game anymore.

CHUCK

Fine. Fine! If that’s what you want. Let’s have one final action sequence to send you out in style.

He snaps his fingers, and A HORDE OF MONSTERS appear all around Sam and Dean. All types of species from past seasons-- vampires, werewolves, banshees, croats, rawheads, tulpas, wraiths, wendigos, Jefferson Starships... the works. 

QUICK CUTS of different monsters, snarling. Dripping fangs. Sharp claws. Animalistic eyes. Horrifying skin. Distorted faces. READY TO KILL. Eager to tear LIMB FROM LIMB.

The circle of monsters starts edging closer towards Sam and Dean...

ON SAM, drawing out a knife with one hand and a gun with the other. Knowing there’s no chance in hell he can stop them all before they get to his brother... but not about to go down without a fight.

BLACKOUT.

END OF ACT TWO

  


## 

  


ACT THREE

13

EXT. KELLY’S CABIN – NIGHT 

The monsters edge closer and closer, waiting to a chance to strike--

CHUCK

And... action!

\--and they LEAP at Sam, who yells and starts FIRING HIS GUN at monster after monster--

He gets a couple of HEADSHOTS. A few stumble back-- but the others KEEP COMING.

Quick cuts as Sam slices a few open with his knife. BLOOD SPURTS from decaying flesh. Then Sam gets off some more shots with his gun...

But it’s NOT ENOUGH. MID SHOT ON SAM-- now SPATTERED with MONSTER BLOOD AND VISCERA. We lose sight of him as the monsters close in...

14

EXT. KELLY’S CABIN/LAKE – EARLY MORNING LIGHT

WIDE SHOT from behind Castiel and Jack, silhouetted by the sunrise. Still sitting at the edge of the shore.

REVERSE ANGLE ON BOTH. Father and son staring out at the water. Pensive. We’ve interrupted them mid-conversation.

Castiel looks at Jack. Uncertain.

CASTIEL

And... you think it will work?

JACK

If I can get out of here, then yes. If anyone can do it--

CASTIEL

It’s not much to go on.

JACK

I think the souls inside me will help. But I... I’ve been holding back from touching them.

CASTIEL

Holding back?

JACK

I was so scared, Cas. Knowing what the Purgatory souls did to you-- knowing what I could become. Knowing last time, I killed Mary... I put everything into making sure they couldn’t control me.

(quietly)

I still don’t know if I can allow myself to submit to them. It’s like standing at the edge of the ocean, and knowing you have to jump in, but being so afraid of how cold it is...

Castiel smiles to himself, looking back out at the water.

JACK (CONT’D)

What?

CASTIEL

You’ve never been to the ocean, have you?

JACK

No. Is it like this?

CASTIEL

Bigger. Bluer. I wanted--

(a confession)

I always hoped that one day, I could go there with you. With all of you...

He trails off, unable to say more. Swallowing his grief.

Jack offers a hand of comfort, and Castiel looks at him. Overwhelmed with emotion-- gratitude for every little thing that allowed him to meet his son... and grief for the future they might not get to have.

15

EXT. KELLY’S CABIN – NIGHT

The monsters are PUMMELING SAM, and he gives out a WAR CRY-- 

Several quick CLOSE UPS showing ABSOLUTE CARNAGE as Sam shoots and slashes at them, but--

He can’t keep them all away. A few monsters start tearing into Dean, who cries out in pain--

SAM

DEAN!!

CUT TO:

16

EXT. KELLY’S CABIN/LAKE – EARLY MORNING LIGHT

Jack and Castiel look out towards the lake. The sky is lightening with the pale blue of morning.

JACK

(gently)

When you died, when-- when you chose to let the Empty take you. How did you let go of your fear?

CASTIEL

(slowly, remembering)

I needed to. And I knew any fear I had could never be more powerful than... than the happiness I felt, knowing Dean would be saved.

JACK

(resolved)

Okay.

CASTIEL

Jack--

JACK

If this doesn’t work, I want you to know--

CASTIEL

Please, Jack, no. Don’t make this a farewell.

JACK

(amused)

Now you know how Dean felt, I suppose.

CASTIEL

(frantic, on the verge of crying)

Jack, I couldn’t be happy without you. So please. Please find a way to come back.

Jack stands to his feet, leaving Castiel looking up at him-- terrified at what he might be about to lose.

JACK

(a benediction)

Thank you, Castiel.

He leans down to kiss Castiel on the forehead.

Off Castiel, frozen with fear.

CASTIEL

Jack, no--

WIDEN TO REVEAL... JACK HAS VANISHED. Castiel is all alone.

CASTIEL (CONT’D)

(despairing)

Jack...

CUT TO:

17

EXT. KELLY’S CABIN – NIGHT

Chuck is chuckling at the blood sport happening in front of him. One very entertained sociopath.

SAM

Dean!!!

Sam fights his way back through the pack of monsters, as Dean GASPS for air. Several creatures are TEARING APART HIS LIMBS with tooth and claw--

DEAN

(weakly, slurring)

Sammy, you gotta get outta here...

Meanwhile, Chuck continues monologuing.

CHUCK

I know this ‘monsterpocalypse’ is unoriginal-- but I didn’t feel like we got enough bloodshed with the ghosts. And you know what? It’s hard coming up with new ideas guys. Frankly, I’ve been writing your story a long time. And hey--

Chuck shrugs.

CHUCK (CONT’D)

If it ain’t broke.

Sam CUTS THROUGH the last of the monsters, and rushes to Dean’s side--

CLOSE ON SAM, cradling Dean’s face and UGLY CRYING.

SAM

Dean...

Chuck snaps his fingers. The spears piercing through Dean DISAPPEAR-- and Dean collapses into Sam. His body is a BLOODY WRECK.

CLOSE ON SAM, cradling his brother’s body in a mirrored shot to the end of 3.16 NO REST FOR THE WICKED.

Sam tilts his head down in anguish, unable to look at what remains of his brother... but Dean calls him back, through his dying breaths--

DEAN

Sam, Sam. Look at me.

Sam does.

ON DEAN, determined to have the last word.

DEAN

I love you. I love you, Sam. So glad you... were my brother. 

And as the life leaves Dean’s eyes, Sam whimpers...

SAM

Dean. No, Dean, Dean...

But DEAN IS DEAD. Sam sobs over his lifeless body...

CHUCK

Well! That was pretty good, I think. A nice wrap up. So I guess all that leaves is--

JACK (O.C.)

(simply)

No. 

Chuck turns around. What the fuck?

Jack is standing serenely next to the tree. White shirt perfectly clean and face clear of blood.

Chuck does a double take. Rubs his head in exasperation.

CHUCK

Oh for-- what now?

JACK

(matter-of-fact)

This isn’t how things end.

CHUCK

Oh, great, coming from the three-year-old. You do better, then.

JACK

I will.

Jack raises his arms. His eyes glow BRIGHT YELLOW...

...and Dean’s body glows bright yellow too. Sam gasps as Dean’s injuries flare with light-- healing--

CLOSE ON DEAN, breathing in his first fresh gulp of air--

DEAN

(weakly)

Sam?

Back to Chuck. Angry, but not afraid.

CHUCK

Cool, so you got a handle on your powers now? Don’t need the Hocus Pocus training wheels anymore? Whatever. You still can’t beat me. You’re still not powerful enough.

JACK

(smiling)

I’m not the one who will beat you.

CHUCK

(nonplussed)

What?

JACK

You never cared about anyone but yourself, Chuck. That was your weakness. That is what will be your downfall.

He raises his arm, and we see Chuck ENVELOPED WITH SHINING YELLOW LIGHT--

On SAM AND DEAN. Sam still cradling Dean, Dean now sitting up slightly-- both looking at Chuck with their faces lit by the glowing light--

CLOSE ON Jack, concentrating--

Then the glow fades, and Chuck blinks. Shakes his head slightly, then winces-- like he’s got a bad hangover.

Meanwhile Jack cries out, and starts shaking-- BLACK VEINS start CRAWLING UP HIS SKIN, his eyes UNFOCUSED...

CHUCK

Cool trick. But whatever it was didn’t work. I’m still just as powerful as ever.

To prove this, Chuck waves his left hand towards Rowena, reviving her--

And Rowena WAKES UP-- confused, gasping for air--

Meanwhile, Jack sinks down on one knee-- almost OVERWHELMED by the power inside him--

JACK

(to Dean, struggling)

Dean, it’s up to you now.

CHUCK

You are so annoying!

ON CHUCK, clenching his right hand into a fist--

And suddenly, JACK VANISHES.

CHUCK (CONT’D)

(calling out)

Have fun in the Pit, kid!

He waves his left hand towards Rowena again and TWISTS IT--

And ROWENA’S NECK is TWISTED TOO-- killing her instantly.

Chuck looks back at Sam and Dean.

CHUCK (CONT’D)

Okay, you know what? I actually think I’m going to get my hands dirty. Need to vent my frustration. ’Cos you guys are seriously pissing me off.

He walks towards Sam and Dean. Sam helps Dean up to his feet, both of them clutching at each other...

But Chuck flicks his index finger. Effortlessly forces them back to their knees.

CHUCK (CONT’D)

Oh, no. This isn’t going to be a fair fight. Are you insane? Sam, you’ve got like, a whole foot on me.

He raises a fist and starts PUMMELING the Winchesters, who can’t fight back-- they go sprawling down, and he keeps hitting them when they try to get back up--

Their faces get bloodier and bloodier as hit after hit comes--

Then Chuck leans back, breathing deeply.

CHUCK (CONT’D)

Okay, yes. Whew. This is cathartic. I see why you guys do this now.

DEAN

(spitting out blood, indistinct)

Amara.

CHUCK

Huh?

Dean looks up at him. Pure Winchester determination in his eyes.

DEAN

Amara, I know you can hear me. You gotta fight him.

CHUCK

(tapping his head)

No, no, Amara’s locked up. Sorry.

DEAN

Amara, I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please.

CHUCK

Nice try, Dean, but you’re hardly the first man to try that one on for size.

He raises his fist to strike Dean but PAUSES, as--

In a mirror of 5.22 SWAN SONG, we get--

Amara taking over Chuck’s eyes-- INKY BLACK. She regards Dean--

CHUCK/AMARA

Dean?

\--And with a ROAR, THE DARKNESS SPILLS OUT OF CHUCK. BLACK SMOKE SWIRLS AROUND, extracting itself from Chuck’s vessel--

Sam and Dean look up at the sky, as the wind and smoke rushes around them--

And AMARA RE-FORMS behind the Winchesters, looking murderous.

AMARA

Brother.

CHUCK

Now, sis, I can explain--

AMARA

Not this time.

She extends her arm out and--

Chuck extends his at the same time--

Both send out BEAMS OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS, that COLLIDE with one another.

Dean and Sam duck for cover and ROLL OUT OF THE WAY with a yell.

WIDE SHOT as the forces of The Darkness and The Light fight for balance (very _Priori Incantatem_ )--

\--but Amara is more powerful, and she forces Chuck’s beam of light back.

ON CHUCK, terrified. Realizing he’s really about to lose it all.

ON AMARA, determined. Unyielding and all-powerful. She walks towards him, one step at a time, until she’s close enough to touch him--

And THE DARKNESS finally overcomes The Light. All of CHUCK’S LIGHT flickers out at the point of his hand, and he sinks to his knees. Cradling his SMOKING, SINGED PALM to his chest.

HIGH ANGLE ON CHUCK as he stares up at his sister who--

LOW ANGLE ON AMARA-- towers over him.

CHUCK

Sister--

AMARA 

I’m sorry. But I’m not going to let you hurt me, or anyone else, ever again.

She makes a single, solemn motion with her hand, and--

FLARES OF GRACE-LIGHT SHINE FROM CHUCK’S EYES AND MOUTH.

Off Sam and Dean, desperately hiding their faces from the glare.

Amara looks down at her brother, unflinching. The light fades, and--

CLOSE ON CHUCK. His eyes HOLLOWED OUT. His body smoking. Finally dead.

BLACKOUT.

END OF ACT THREE

  


## 

  


ACT FOUR

18

EXT. KELLY’S CABIN – NIGHT

Amara turns away from the smoking remains of Chuck’s body. She walks towards Dean and Sam, still on the ground. Their skin BURNED from the impact of Chuck’s dying light.

HIGH ANGLE ON DEAN, looking up at her...

LOW ANGLE ON AMARA. Looking down at Dean pityingly. She cups his face, and--

She HEALS DEAN of his injuries (in a shot mirror of 5.22 SWAN SONG again-- ‘Cas, are you God?’). Dean looks away, shaken.

Amara ignores him, now focused on healing Sam.

SAM

Thanks. Uh...

Amara extends a hand to each of them, and Sam and Dean trade a glance.

They accept her help and her outstretched hands. They stand to their feet... both still a little off-balance.

SAM (CONT’D)

(uncertain)

Is he... he really dead? Is Jack God now?

JACK (O.C.)

No.

PAN OFF AMARA to JACK standing behind her on the cabin patio. PULL FOCUS ON JACK. Smiling at them.

JACK (CONT’D)

Although I’m not sure why. Michael thought that when God died, the next most powerful being would inherit his title. Amara split from him, and that should have been enough...

(to Amara, frowning)

But I don’t feel any different.

AMARA

(mysterious)

It’s not about power. It never was.

JACK

Are you God?

AMARA

No. I’m still The Darkness, and you-- you’re still a stolen, second-hand energy cocktail. A potent cocktail, I’ll grant you, but that’s all it is. It’s not yours. Being God isn’t something you are by default. He was... The Light. The Creator.

She shakes her head. A little bit of grief there.

AMARA (CONT’D)

He was my brother.

JACK

So the universe will still be...

AMARA

Unbalanced.

JACK

(frowning)

How do we fix it?

There’s a pause, as Amara seems to weigh up her decision. Then--

AMARA

Chuck was God because he created this world. So in order to become God yourself, you have to--

JACK

Recreate it.

AMARA

Yes. 

JACK

(a child once more)

Can I-- really do all that?

AMARA

Not on your own. Tapping into the power to reach me nearly killed you.

JACK

I was being overwhelmed by the things inside me, consumed by them, but-- then they stopped. And I was here again.

(realizing)

You saved me from them?

AMARA

You saved me first. Freed me from my brother, gave me enough strength to kill him. It was the least I could do.

JACK

But how did you control them?

AMARA

Monsters, demons-- they are born of The Darkness. My... legacy, to Chuck’s creation. My aberration.

JACK

If you have power over them, then-- you can help me do it? Rewrite the world?

ON DEAN, reacting to this-- 

DEAN

Whoa, hey, hang on. What, you’re going to delete file, start new game? How is that different to Chuck?

AMARA

(still patient for Dean)

We’re not going to wipe the world and make a different one. We’re going to rebuild this one exactly as it was.

Amara looks at the lake, and is thoughtful...

AMARA (CONT’D)

\--or, almost exactly. I believe my great-nephew and I love this world more than Chuck ever did. So we will assemble it with love, instead of egotism.

DEAN

(scared, defensive)

And-- and us? What about us? You gonna Stepford Wives us too?

She looks back to Dean as he interrupts her thoughts. She is exasperated, but still rather fond.

AMARA

No, Dean. I would never change you. No matter how infuriating you can be. You’ll be every inch the flawed, psychologically damaged man you are right now.

OFF DEAN, who doesn’t know how to respond to that.

AMARA (CONT’D)

And... I learned my lesson, about people, and their feelings. Even if I tried to change you--

Amara smiles. She knows the truth of Dean Winchester’s heart.

AMARA (CONT’D)

You’d find a way to break free.

Off Dean, frowning. Thinking on that statement.

On Amara. Extending a hand out to Jack.

AMARA (CONT’D)

Shall we?

AND A BRIGHT WHITE LIGHT FLASHES...

19

INT. THE IN-BETWEEN – DAY

CLOSE ON DEAN. Slumped asleep. He blinks awake, and scrambles to sit up. Looks around, bewildered. 

He’s in a BLANK WHITE SPACE. The exact inverse of the Empty.

Dean looks across at Sam, unconscious beside him, and shakes him.

DEAN

Hey, Sam. Sam. Come on. Wake up.

SAM

Dean? It’s--

(he yawns)

Not morning yet.

DEAN

Sam. 

Hearing the urgency in Dean’s voice, Sam snaps to full alertness.

He and Dean help each other to their feet. Both look around. Wary.

SAM

Where are we?

DEAN

Beats me. Doesn’t feel like Heaven, though. I don’t have those warm-and-fuzzies.

SAM

The Empty?

DEAN

Nah, that place felt-- creepier. Way more depressing. Trust me, we ain’t there.

DEATH (O.C.)

Always comes down to you two, doesn’t it?

Dean and Sam TURN SHARPLY to see THE OLD DEATH behind them, dressed in his classic outfit-- LONG BLACK COAT. DEATH RING. DISDAINFUL EXPRESSION.

SAM

You!

DEATH

Me.

SAM

Are you here to kill us?

DEATH

(dripping condescension)

Winchesters. You’re already dead. Or-- perhaps it would be more accurate to say you’ve been vanished.

SAM

Vanished?

DEATH

Temporarily of course. But I’m here to fetch you back.

DEAN

Fet-- wait, you’re going to help us? After...

DEATH

After you killed me, yes. Don’t get your plaid underwear in a knot, Dean, I’m not doing it for you. It’s a favor for the new God. He’s the one who opened the Empty, and gave me my old job back. Let me reap the old God, too.

Death takes a moment to smile. Self-satisfied cat with the cream. Oh, he enjoyed that.

DEATH (CONT’D)

Quite the gift.

SAM

And Billie?

DEATH

(idly)

I hear my successor went rogue.

DEAN

Yeah, you could say that.

DEATH

Mm. I am looking forward to seeing her face when she sees me come to collect her soul.

DEAN

(flummoxed)

Her soul?

DEATH

Oh, yes. She’s human now. Along with quite a few of those who ended up in the Empty.

DEAN

The Emp-- wait, what?

DEATH

(with a deep sigh)

Explaining this to you will be a chore, won’t it? You see, your Jack wasn’t sure what to do with all those souls inside him. So he decided to give them a go at humanity. 

(acerbic)

It seems someone instilled the new God with a bleeding heart.

SAM

They’re human? But the beings in the Empty were-- angels, and demons, and monsters!

DEATH

(bored)

Who possess fledgling souls, but souls nevertheless. What are demons, but souls tortured until they shrivel up and blacken? What are angels, but beams of light blessed, sometimes, with the spark of a personality? Compared to a human, those souls aren’t worth much. The true power is in the encasing grace and miasma. Well, unless you feed those souls love.

A beat, as Death looks pointedly at both of them.

DEATH (CONT’D)

So your son decided to give them all a second chance to get into Heaven. As humans. No powers this time, just the opportunity to live without the influence of Heaven or Hell.

SAM

But the things that were in there, they’re-- I mean, Lucifer, and Azazel, and the Leviathans, and the rest, they’re just walking around now?

DEATH

Oh, no. Only those with enough of a human soul were granted a freshly made body. Those who were less... developed, he put in line to be born as infants-- without any recollection of their past lives.

DEAN

(confounded)

But what’s the point? You get some born-again demon, what’s to stop them murdering a few people, killing themselves to get to Hell, and starting the cycle all over again?

DEATH

Because there is no more Hell. No more demons.

Dean blinks, taken aback.

DEATH (CONT’D)

It surprises you that beings with minds far more powerful than yours could possibly think this through.

DEAN

(ever a brat)

Yeah, a bit.

DEATH

Jack did not see the need for Hell. Or Purgatory. He found it-- what was the phrase. “Needlessly punishing”. He said that not everyone was lucky enough to be raised by the Winchesters, and grow up surrounded by love.

Death casts a stony look at the both of them. Obviously he thinks very little of them as parents.

SAM

So-- so what happens now?

DEATH

If Anubis determines that a person has lived a good life, they go to Heaven. And if they live a life without merit, willfully harming others, they get reincarnated. Their punishment is merely to forget their old life, and be separated from the people they love.

Dean notices that Death disapproves, even though his tone is as dry as ever.

DEAN

You don’t like this solution, do you.

DEATH

It is not how I would do things. Unfortunately, however, it is not my place to question God’s will. He is very big on choices, this new God of yours. Even in Heaven, people can choose to leave and be reincarnated back on Earth. And the administrative work that has created--

(exasperated)

Now I have to ask questions when humans die. Next thing you know, I’ll have to hand out forms for them to complete on the way out.

Sam laughs, despite himself, but quickly stifles it when Death turns his unamused gaze on him.

DEAN

So-- so that’s it? No more Hell, no more Empty, no more Purgatory-- just Heaven?

DEATH

Just Heaven. And a long line of souls in here, waiting to be reincarnated.

SAM

And this place is what, the-- the anti-Empty?

DEATH

You could call it that. A place of temporary sleep, removed from time itself. Where souls await their next destination.

DEAN

Huh. I guess the kid-- did good?

He turns to Sam, a bit uncertain. He still doesn’t like the idea of Heaven, but no more Hell-- that’s something.

SAM

Wait, what about all of the other worlds Chuck destroyed?

DEATH

The other worlds are gone. There was only one world Jack and Amara had the foundations of, only one universe they had loved well enough to rewrite.

DEAN

So all the other people, all the other lives, they just get erased? Because what, they were drafts?

DEATH

God wanted to wipe out an entire multiverse. You managed to salvage some of it, and you complain it wasn’t enough?

DEAN

Doesn’t seem very fair, does it?

Death DISAPPEARS and REAPPEARS right IN FRONT OF DEAN’S FACE. Dean FLINCHES, but maintains eye contact.

CLOSE ON DEATH, staring deeply into Dean’s eyes. 

DEATH

Would you like me to comfort you? Hold your hand, tell you it will be alright? 

DEAN

(cocky shit)

Yeah. Couldn’t hurt.

CLOSE ON DEATH, STARING HOLES into Dean. Then--

He reappears back where he was standing before.

ON DEAN, blinking. Disoriented.

DEATH

(to both of them)

In my experience, when faced with the void of one’s own demise, humans find solace in the idea of legacy. So let me comfort you with this; every single other world was a sacrifice made so that you might live freely. Every being in those other universes were just different programs that puttered around in different mazes. And every different iteration was created and destroyed for the sake of this world, with this version of you two. The Winchesters that achieved true consciousness. Well, with the help of the bug in the system.

SAM

What bug?

DEATH

God’s weakness. The thing He never counted on. Don’t make me say it; I have a reputation to maintain. Still, I can hardly blame Him. Even I was surprised by the number of times you two, and the angel, managed to defy what was written in my books through sheer force of will. You might say God was finally killed through pure, obnoxious, Winchester stubbornness.

DEAN

(cheeky, charming smile)

Yeah, well, that’s us. 

DEATH

(utterly indifferent)

Indeed.

SAM

So he’s really dead this time?

DEATH

(viciously pleased)

Oh, yes. You can be certain of that, if nothing else. 

(slightly annoyed)

Of course, under the new system, even His soul gets another go-around on this merry carousel. Speaking of which...

Death stares at them. One eyebrow raised.

DEATH (CONT’D)

I’m supposed to ask you your question.

Dean and Sam look back at Death, a bit apprehensive.

DEAN

Question?

DEATH

(bored public servant)

Would you like to be reincarnated, ascend to Heaven, or go back to the lives you had before?

Dean and Sam look at each other. A beat... and then they grin. It’s no question at all.

SAM

Take us back. We want to be Winchesters for a while yet.

DEATH

(as sardonically as possible)

As you command.

He looks at them-- and the scene flashes BRIGHT WHITE.

CUT TO:

20

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – SAM’S ROOM – DAY

CLOSE ON SAM, blinking awake. Completely disoriented. He looks to the side and sees--

A DIGITAL ALARM CLOCK. Time: 15:36. Sunday, 13th of September 2020.

Sam scrambles off the bed, making for the door-- then pauses. Desperately looks around for something. Sees the coats hanging up on the wall--

And walks to them. Pats them down, feeling for something. Finds it.

CLOSE ON his hands, taking out his PHONE. Turning on the screen-- no new messages. He opens the lock screen.

MID SHOT tracking Sam as he scrambles to do something on his phone, and then puts it against one ear-- he walks out into the corridors--

21

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – CORRIDORS – DAY 

\--striding through them and then breaking into a run towards Dean’s room.

22

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – DEAN’S ROOM – DAY

On Dean. Just waking up and pushing back the coverlet of his bed--

Sam BURSTS IN THE DOOR, and sees Dean--

DEAN

Sam?

SAM

Dean!

Dean stands to his feet abruptly, and in that same instant Sam has CROSSED THE ROOM. He HUGS DEAN TIGHT, putting the phone down for a moment to do so. Then Sam draws back. Looks at the phone screen again.

OFF DEAN, a little confused--

ON SAM, tense-- we hear the phone ringing just as we hear buzzing somewhere else inside the Bunker.

Off Dean. Realization dawning as the ringing stops.

Sam lowers the phone, panicking.

SAM (CONT’D)

Crap. I took Eileen’s phone when she disappeared.

DEAN

So--

SAM

Dean, I have to-- I have to go get her, I have to--

Then Sam’s phone starts buzzing. He nearly drops it, but then hits receive. Puts it to his ear.

SAM (CONT’D)

Hello?

23

EXT. NEIGHBOR’S HOUSE – DAY

We see an elderly woman frowning at someone, an old-fashioned corded telephone at her ear.

NEIGHBOR

Is this, uh, Sam?

24

INT. MEN OF LETTERS / INT. NEIGHBOUR’S HOUSE – DAY – INTERCUT

SAM

It is?

On the NEIGHBOR, now smiling and nodding at whoever she is looking at.

NEIGHBOR

My neighbor wanted me to phone this number to see if you were alright. Eileen Leahy?

ON EILEEN LEAHY, overjoyed and eyes sparkling with happiness.

ON SAM, turning to Dean with pure joy and relief in his eyes.

OFF DEAN, smiling back. ‘Go get her, Sammy’.

SAM

Oh, my god. Um, tell her I’m sorry I took her phone. And her car. And. I’ll be right there. Tell her to stay right there, and I’m on my way.

Sam hangs up, and starts--

SAM (CONT’D)

Dean--

DEAN

Sam. Go get your girl.

SAM

Yeah, I-- thanks. 

He looks back at Dean, thinks ‘fuck it’, and grabs him again in a brief, tight hug. 

SAM (CONT’D)

Okay. I’ll, I’ll call you.

Sam RACES OFF, leaving Dean on his own. Chuckling a little at his younger brother. Then the smile fades, and he frowns. Closes his eyes.

DEAN

Uh. Hey. Jack, and uh. C-Cas. I dunno where you guys are-- are at, but--

Dean remembers that Castiel is human now, and opens his eyes again. Frustrated. 

DEAN

Crap.

He pulls a phone out of his pocket, taps twice and then puts it to his ear. We hear the phone ring, as Dean--

25

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – CORRIDORS – DAY

\--walks through the Bunker, through the corridors-- the phone keeps ringing... Dean starts running... we hear another phone ring somewhere else--

And we hear someone pickup--

CASTIEL (V.O.)

(on Dean’s phone)

Hello?

And Dean runs into--

26

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – CROW’S NEST – DAY

\--the war room, to find Castiel standing in the center of the room, Jack beside him. Dean skids to a halt about two feet away from Castiel.

MID SHOT OF THE THREE-- Dean and Castiel still holding their phones up to their ears. Staring at each other.

Jack looks between them, amused.

CASTIEL

(uncertain)

I’m gonna hang up, now--

Dean DROPS THE PHONE. It clatters to the ground. He moves in and FULL BODY HUGS Castiel. Tighter than EVER.

CLOSE ON CASTIEL-- who MELTS into the hug. Closes his eyes, and smiles. Beatific.

CLOSE ON DEAN, squeezing his eyes shut, and tilting his head slightly into Castiel’s neck--

OFF JACK-- grinning as he looks from one to the other.

Finally Dean disentangles himself from Castiel-- not entirely, just enough to loop an arm around Jack and BRING HIM IN--

DEAN

You too, kiddo. Get in here.

\--and he draws Jack into the GROUP HUG.

WIDE SHOT that PULLS BACK slightly... as we finish on that image of a reunited family.

BLACKOUT.

END OF ACT FOUR

  


## 

  


ACT FIVE

27

INT. BECKY ROSEN’S HOUSE – DAY

We see a phone on a bedside table, plugged in to charge. The phone suddenly lights up, the alarm tone going off--

MUSIC CUE: “[HEAT OF THE MOMENT](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8fKEYyjuZI)” by ASIA.

MUSIC (V.O.)

 _\--Heat of the moment  
Telling me what your heart meant--_

The time on the phone: 17:00. Sunday, 13th of September 2020. Alarm reads: “TAKE PILLS!” A woman’s hand fumbles at the phone, and she groans. She unplugs the charging cord, picks it up and takes it out of shot.

END MUSIC CUE.

ROD (O.C.)

Babe?

BECKY (O.C.)

Oh. OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD.

Cut to Becky, swinging out of the bed. Freaking out. Her husband is out of shot.

BECKY (CONT’D)

Holy crap. Did I dream that?

She looks around, frantic, and her husband sits up behind her.

ROD

Babe? Becks?

BECKY

(manic)

What’s the last thing you remember?

ROD

Uh. We were... going on a fishing trip. With the kids.

BECKY

(hysterical)

AND WHAT DAY WAS IT?

ROD

Uh. Sunday afternoon?

BECKY

(shrieking)

IT’S SUNDAY AGAIN, ROD. IN SEPTEMBER.

ROD

(totally lost)

Uh, what?

He reaches for the screen, and taps it. Dead battery.

ROD (CONT’D)

What the hell? I swear it had like ninety percent...

He leans over to plug in the charger.

BECKY

THAT EVIL SON OF A BITCH.

ROD

Honey, what are you talking about?

BECKY

MY ABUSIVE EX SCREWED WITH US.

She gasps, and races out of bed, down the corridor. 

BECKY (O.C.) (CONT’D)

Kids? KIDS??? Oh, thank GOD.

ON ROD, scratching his head. He looks at his phone again...

CLOSE ON HIS PHONE, as the ‘no battery’ sign vanishes, and his phone starts lighting up with a million notifications.

ROD

What. The. Hell.

ON ROD, picking up his phone and unlocking it. 

CLOSE ON THE PHONE SCREEN, as Rod opens the front page of the news. First headline: ‘ANGELS WALK AMONG US. Thousands of unidentified people have appeared all over the Earth, claiming to be...’

On ROD. In shock.

ROD (CONT’D)

(calling out to his wife)

...Honey????

BLACKOUT.

TO BE CONTINUED...

  


## 


	4. 15.22 - In the Blood

## 

  


SUPERNATURAL

EPISODE #1522

“IN THE BLOOD”

  


TEASER

FADE IN:

1

EXT. ABANDONED ALLEY – DAY

HIGH ANGLE looking down on A CITY ALLEYWAY... within it, a WOMAN we’ve never seen before. Lying face down on the ground. She has BLONDE, SHORT-CROPPED HAIR, and a RED LEATHER JACKET.

The woman gets on her hands, and stands up. Squints at the sky. Clearly disorientated.

POV SHOT as she looks at her palms. Turns over her hands, examining them.

LOW ANGLE ON HER FACE, looking pleased. Almost... devious.

WOMAN

Huh. What do you know...

WIDE SHOT as she walks out into the street.

2

EXT. CITY STREETS – DAY

The typical hustle and bustle of a city. Commuters rushing past, heedless of the lost soul within their midst.

As the woman passes by other people, she notices something’s off. People are panicky, staring at their phones. A mob of people is gathered in front of an ELECTRONICS STORE WINDOW. Business casual, activewear, mothers with prams. All of them stopped still. Looking at the FLICKERING TELEVISION SCREENS within.

The woman frowns, and crosses the road to join them. Pushes others aside to get a better view.

The TV screens are showing the news. The audio is silent, but the news ticker reads ‘WORLD IN CRISIS – THOUSANDS OF STRANGERS APPEAR OVERNIGHT – MANY CLAIM SUPERNATURAL ORIGIN’

Everyone in the crowd mutters to each other. An old woman shakes her head. Her elderly husband watches on.

OLD WOMAN

Why won’t anyone on TV explain where they come from...?

PASSERBY 1

I heard they were angels. 

OLD MAN

(dismissive)

If they’re angels, they’d be able to prove it.

PASSERBY 2

They’ve come to deliver the rapture!

PASSERBY 3

Oh, shut up. Christians.

TEENAGE BOY 1

This is like, a Marvel plot, bro. What the hell.

TEENAGE BOY 2

Nah dude, they’re alien abductees. A hundred percent.

TEENAGE BOY 1

C’mon. Aliens don’t exist.

The woman walks away from the crowd, smirking.

3

EXT. HIGHWAY – DAY

THE WOMAN has left the city and is now hitchhiking on an OPEN HIGHWAY. She waves for a truck going past--

WOMAN

HEY! HEY!!!

\--but it carries straight on, ignoring her.

WOMAN (CONT’D)

What, this meat suit not good enough for you?

WIDE SHOT straight down the road. In the distance, another truck emerges from the heat haze. The woman walks into the middle of the road and starts jumping up and down, waving her hands.

WOMAN (CONT’D)

Hey! HEY!

WIDE SHOT from the side of the road. The truck slows down and draws up in front of her.

MUSIC CUE: “[BAD COMPANY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbPY4sPQXB0)” by BAD COMPANY (the same music used in 1.11 SCARECROW). Music runs under dialogue.

The truck door swings open. The woman smiles and pulls herself up to the passenger seat, swinging it shut behind her.

ON THE TRUCK DRIVER. A generic, greasy looking man complete with trucker’s cap.

MUSIC (V.O.)

 _Company, always on the run  
Destiny, mmm, is a rising sun  
Oh, I was born six-gun in my hand  
Behind a gun, I make my final stand, hey..._

The woman gets settled in her seat. Looks out the rear-view mirror. Nobody behind them. A [tacky wooden cross](https://www.bereanbaskets.com/cross-car-charm-wood-faith-is-hebrews-111-car0042-chalkboard-p-11163.html) dangles from the rear-view mirror-- engraved with words from the Bible. “Faith is being sure of what we hope for”. 

TRUCK DRIVER

So, where you headed?

WOMAN

Just trying to get to California.

TRUCK DRIVER

Why? What’s in Cali that’s so important?

WOMAN

Just something I’ve been looking for. For a long time.

TRUCK DRIVER

Oh yeah? What’s that?

WOMAN

(pausing, wondering at it) 

A fresh start.

TRUCK DRIVER

Alrighty, then. I’m Derek, by the way.

ON THE WOMAN, as we see her smirk.

MUSIC (V.O.)

 _It’s why they call me--_

WOMAN

Meg.

And the MUSIC turns up LOUD, as we play--

MUSIC (V.O.)

 _Bad company and I can’t deny  
Bad company ’til the day I die_

WIDE HIGH ANGLE SHOT on the road. We see THE TRUCK start up again, and drive away into the distance...

MUSIC (V.O.) (CONT’D)

 _Oh, ’til the day I die.  
’Til the day I die..._

CUT TO:

4

EXT. FOOD KITCHEN – DAY

An unfamiliar YOUNG MAN (early 20s, blonde, wearing sunglasses, a thin, ripped tank top and skinny jeans), who lines up in a food kitchen line.

CLOSE ON YOUNG MAN-- he’s cold. He rubs his arms and shivers.

MUSIC (V.O.) (CONT’D)

 _Rebel souls, deserters we are called  
Chose a gun and threw away the song_

A volunteer hands him a CUP OF HOT TEA.

He flicks up his sunglasses. Stares at the tea. Then SMILES at the volunteer gratefully, accepting it.

CUT TO:

5

EXT. TOWN HALL – DAY

PAN over a STREET PREACHER, who is HANDING OUT FLYERS to passers-by.

MUSIC (V.O.) (CONT’D)

 _Now these towns, they all know our name_

A TALL WOMAN walks past, picking up the flyer off him.

MUSIC (V.O.) (CONT’D)

 _Six-gun sound is our claim to fame_

PAN DOWN from her face, amused, to the flyer (“THE END IS HERE: REPENT YOUR SINS”)

MUSIC (V.O.) (CONT’D)

 _I can hear them say..._

CUT TO:

6

INT. CATHOLIC CHURCH – DAY

ZOOM on the back of a DARK-HAIRED WOMAN standing a church pew--

MUSIC (V.O.) (CONT’D)

 _Bad company--_

\--who suddenly turns around to see--

MUSIC (V.O.) (CONT’D)

 _\--and I won’t deny_

\--a bunch of EX-DEMON GANG MEMBERS in leather jackets, bursting in through the church doors--

WIDE SHOT from the side of the church as we see the EX-DEMON GANG and DARK-HAIRED WOMAN point guns towards each other--

MUSIC (V.O.) (CONT’D)

 _Bad, bad company ’til the day I die  
Ha, ha, oh yeah  
’Til the day I die, ooh_

An extended fight scene. Quick cuts as they shoot at each other. The woman DUCKS behind the pews, firing off bullets rapidly when she can. Most hit and kill their targets.

As the two remaining ex-demons advance, she backs away behind a stone column. Fires again-- HITS ONE, who goes down-- then DAMN. Out of bullets. 

She ducks back behind the stone column as the remaining ex-demon rushes forward--

And she WHIPS BACK AROUND, and STABS HIM THROUGH with a knife. DRIVES THE KNIFE into his chest and leans over him as he FALLS BACKWARDS, screaming in pain.

LOW ANGLE on the woman, YANKING her bloody blade back out of his chest.

MUSIC (V.O.) (CONT’D)

 _Hey, hey, hey..._

The dark-haired woman straightens up-- BLEEDING from a couple of shots to her arm and shoulder-- but they’re not fatal... She grins. Vicious. Victorious.

CUT TO:

7

EXT. MILTON HOUSE – NIGHT

MUSIC (V.O.) (CONT’D)

 _Bad company, I can’t deny_

Camera pans across to reveal an EXTERIOR OF A HOUSEHOLD AT NIGHT, with the windows lit up... 

Inside one window we see ANNA MILTON at a dining table, sitting with her ageing parents on either side of her-- RICHARD AND AMY MILTON, who look overjoyed. They’re in the middle of a family dinner.

CUT TO:

8

EXT. MANSION – NIGHT

MUSIC (V.O.) (CONT’D)

 _Bad company ’til the day I die_

MID SHOT at ground level of a manicured lawn-- and a woman’s BLACK BOOTS, landing hard on springy grass after a high jump. Linger on the form of her catsuit as the camera travels up her body--

To reveal BELA TALBOT, removing her mask. Shaking out her hair and smirking.

CUT TO:

9

INT. GUIDRY’S GUMBO SHACK – DAY

MUSIC (V.O.) (CONT’D)

 _What’d I say now? Is bad company  
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah_

Inside a fast-food shop-- BENNY LAFITTE cleaning the countertop with his great-granddaughter ELIZABETH smiling, looking on. 

CUT TO:

10

EXT. WAREHOUSE – NIGHT

A slow pan across a creepy looking warehouse. Through the windows, we see the flickering light of a large FIRE.

MUSIC (V.O.) (CONT’D)

 _Bad company ’til the day I die..._

As the OUTRO PLAYS, the music fades out slowly...

11

INT. WAREHOUSE – NIGHT

Inside we see TWO MEN standing over a BONFIRE. On a TORTURE RACK placed over the fire is A YOUNG MALE TORTURE VICTIM, whimpering. The shorter torturer is pacing up and down the room, anxious. In contrast, the taller one is perfectly still-- other than his fingers, which keep running over a lever placed next to the torture rack.

TORTURE VICTIM

Please... God...

TORTURER 1

God has nothing to do with us. Just give us what we want little witch, and we’ll be out of your hair.

TORTURER 2

Should we lower it?

TORTURER 1

Good suggestion.

He lowers the rack using the lever, and the man drops closer to the fire--

END MUSIC CUE.

TORTURE VICTIM

(rambling, desperate)

Ah, ah, there’s-- new rules. Things don’t work the way they used to. The spirits of the dead aren’t-- in the veil, anymore--

TORTURER 1

We can do this the easy way, or the hard way.

TORTURE VICTIM

Fine! I can get you what you want. Just please don’t kill me.

TORTURER 2

(to his partner)

So, he’ll do it?

CLOSE ON TORTURER 1, who grins evilly.

TORTURER 1

Oh, yes. Time to bring back the old boss.

BLACKOUT.

END OF TEASER

  


## 

  


ACT ONE

12

EXT. MEN OF LETTERS – NIGHT

We open on the outside of the Bunker. A WIDE SHOT of the driveway reveals MANY PARKED CARS. Mostly trucks and classics. Eileen’s red PLYMOUTH VALIANT is among them.

The sound of a merry gathering fades in as we cut to--

13

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – CROW’S NEST/LIBRARY – NIGHT

Overhead shot of A CELEBRATION in the war room-- a party. The war room hasn’t been this crowded in a long time. Most people are wearing the obvious uniform of American hunters; plaid, denim, leather, and easy confidence.

Panning through the gathered hunters, we see some familiar faces: JODY MILLS and DONNA HANSCUM chatting with GARTH AND BESS FITZGERALD. KRISSY CHAMBERS talking to CLAIRE NOVAK and KAIA NIEVES. ALEX JONES and PATIENCE TURNER talking to AIDAN and JOSEPHINE BARNES. JACK KLINE talking to MAX BANES in a corner. Most people are holding bottles of alcohol, a couple are holding plates of pizza. 

As we dolly slowly into the library, we see others. Hunters we know from the 12.06 CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF ASA FOX talking with EILEEN LEAHY. CASTIEL talking with CHARLIE BRADBURY (ALTERNATE) and STEVIE. Finally, SAM AND DEAN WINCHESTER talking to BOBBY SINGER (ALTERNATE). 

BOBBY

...So he just brought back all those Cloud-Weasels and Pit-Roaches-- not to mention every monster you boys ever put in the ground--

SAM

Bobby, it’s not that simple--

BOBBY

Oh, excuse me. Because from where I’m standing--

DEAN

He said it was only the ones who had enough for a soul, or something.

BOBBY

(unimpressed)

Here’s my question; if the kid can give those abominations a second chance, how come your Mom ain’t got a third go-around? He’s the one that killed her.

Sam and Dean look at each other. Clearly, they’ve thought something similar... but they aren’t going to question Jack’s decision in front of Bobby. At least, not this version of Bobby.

DEAN

She’s in Heaven. Cas said she was at peace.

BOBBY

What, playing the ‘best of’ compilation on repeat? What good is that crap?

DEAN

(under his breath)

Yeah, well. 

BOBBY

You say there’s no more Hell, no more demons, and I’m grateful-- but we got those maniacs wanderin’ out there right now--

SAM

Jack wanted to give them a second chance. Bobby, Dean was a demon. Crowley was a demon. But when they were human--

BOBBY

Then explain to me how we’ve got at least five Fall-related murders in this state alone. Not to mention the massacres--

DEAN

(moody, not really drinking his own Kool Aid)

Jack said there would be an ‘adjustment period’.

BOBBY

And that’s another thing. If he’s God, how come he’s here right now and not out there saving the people that are bein’ murdered!

Bobby glares over Dean’s shoulder in Jack’s general direction.

SAM

He’s not with Amara right now. So, he’s not technically God? It’s uh, complicated.

BOBBY

(flat)

It’s complicated.

SAM

He said he had a ‘non-interventionist policy’.

BOBBY

He brought the whole world back to life, didn’t he? Seems interventionist to me. We gonna pretend he wouldn’t use his God-powers on his Featherhead Dad over there if he dropped dead right now?

DEAN

(immediately defensive)

That’s different.

Bobby gives him the most incendiary look possible. Then to Sam--

BOBBY

I’m just sayin’. Kid’s fixed stuff, but he’s screwed up a bunch of other stuff in the fixin’. I hope you boys have a plan to deal with it.

SAM

Yeah, we do. That’s why everyone’s here.

BOBBY

(slightly mollified)

And here I thought it was just for the free beer.

Sam looks to Dean and gestures towards the war room.

SAM

Speaking of which should we--

DEAN

‘We’? No, no, this is all you. You’re the public speaker. Would-be lawyer, and all. Me? I’m just the muscle.

He gives Sam his most shit-eating grin. Sam rolls his eyes.

SAM

Fine, but you’re doing dishes for the next two weeks.

DEAN

Hey, hey, that’s not fair, I already do all the cooking--

But Sam has already walked off towards the war room. Dean follows. Behind them, Castiel notices the movement and murmurs an apology to Charlie and Stevie.

Camera tracks Dean and Castiel, moving through the crowd-- following Sam out of the library. Others notice them, and start to move towards the war room too...

Which is now OVERFLOWING WITH PEOPLE.

Sam HALF-JOGS up the stairs to the CROW’S NEST BALCONY, and waves down at the gathered guests. The chatter quietens as people start to pay attention.

SAM

Hey, uh, everyone. Thanks for being here.

JODY

(heckling)

You’re welcome!

SAM

I know some of you were worried about such a large group of us meeting when-- well, historically that hasn’t gone so well. But I promise we have, uh. The best protection we could possibly have. 

Bobby and Jody cast a sideways look towards Jack-- who remains perfectly attentive. Like an eager schoolkid.

SAM (CONT’D)

(a bit nervous, but getting more and more confident)

And I wanted-- no, we needed to have a stronger network. Because obviously, the world’s just changed, and the way things used to work-- it won’t work as well anymore. So, here’s what you need to know.

Sam takes a deep breath, and then--

SAM (CONT’D)

Two weeks ago, the entire afterlife system was altered. We’re not, uh, completely sure how--

Sam winces on the lie, but forges on--

SAM (CONT’D)

\--but now it seems like Heaven is the only post-death realm left standing. And after all those dead angels and demons started popping up, most people are starting to believe in the existence of the supernatural. We’ve got CNN doing lead stories on angels, and people coming out of the woodwork to talk to the New York Times about their encounters with wendigos. And with people asking more and more questions, we think it’s-- time to be more open about what it is we do.

A couple of glances are exchanged around the room-- some people clearly don’t like this idea, but others are more enthusiastic.

DONNA

Hear, hear.

SAM

I know this is going to be a hard transition, for all of us, but we’re better when we’re sharing information, sharing resources. And now I think it’s time to share a little of that back with the world. So that people can help protect themselves, and we’re-- proactive, not just reactive.

The crowd murmurs, their reaction still mixed.

SAM (CONT’D)

And, also, we’re gonna be better at communicating. Set up the Men of Letters equipment with proper tech, bring us all into the 21st century-- have this place be open to hunters who need a halfway point. It’s all a little hazy right now, but Eileen--

He looks at Eileen, who smiles back, and there’s a clear ‘that’s my girlfriend!’ vibe going on--

SAM (CONT’D)

Eileen Leahy and I are working on putting it all together. And in the meantime, if you have suggestions, we’d love to listen. We don’t want this to be, you know, a secretive, hierarchical organization like the British Men of Letters. It’s going to be a Hunters’ Association for all of us. 

There’s a pause as the crowd decides whether or not to clap, and--

SAM (CONT’D)

So, uh, if there are any questions--

Patience puts a hand up in the air, but then Claire shoots her a withering look. She quickly retracts it. Meanwhile--

GARTH

(extremely nervous)

Um. What about the-- the nice monsters. I mean, are we. Are we gonna have rules about. Ask questions first, shoot later?

SAM

(relieved to be asked a question)

Yeah, yeah. That’s a great question. We’re gonna have a code, a proper code that we want people to try and stick to--

On Claire and Alex. Claire mutters to Alex, as Sam’s voice continues indistinctly in the background--

CLAIRE

(scoffing)

Oh yeah, this can only end well. You gonna be Team Cap?

ALEX

I don’t think Dean would make a very good Cap.

CLAIRE

(fondly)

Yeah, I guess personality-wise they’re definitely reversed--

Low, wide angle back on Sam--

SAM

\--if that sort of thing comes up. Alright, any more questions?

MAX

What makes you think people will accept us? We tell people who we are, what we are-- we’ll just be made outcasts. It’s fine for someone like you, but--

SAM

No, that’s fair. You’re right, it’s going to be hard. And, we have to educate people that, you know.

(with a glance at Garth)

Things aren’t black and white. 

Max looks DISTINCTLY unimpressed with this particular phrasing, but Sam doesn’t realize that--

SAM (CONT’D)

There’s strength in numbers. And change isn’t going to happen overnight, but it will come. We just have to keep telling people, keep proving that what we say is true. It’s our job to illuminate the darkness; people will turn away. People will be scared. But that doesn’t mean that we should shelter them, or ourselves. We need to have the truth out there.

Max doesn’t look placated by this at all, but he doesn’t say anything else.

Sam moves on-- he looks elsewhere around the room. Doesn’t see any more hands go up.

SAM (CONT’D)

If-- if that’s all. Then, I also just wanted to say thank you. For being our allies, and our friends. And just for this night, let’s celebrate. Tomorrow we’ll drift off to different places again, but. This life, I think sometimes we don’t get enough chances to sit around with our friends, our chosen family. So I hope tonight you-- get a chance to do that.

(embarrassed)

Uh, thanks.

DONNA

(yelling, half-drunk already)

Here’s to the Winchesters!

She raises her glass to the roof, and others around her follow. 

ALL HUNTERS

To the Winchesters!

Wide shot as everyone TOASTS to that.

Various shots of people drinking from beer bottles--

Then we begin a cheerful and quick MONTAGE. Buzzing sounds of chatter a constant in the background. Dialogue may be improvised/added where appropriate. We see people enjoying themselves as the night goes on...

The WAYWARDS getting a BOX OF PIZZA from the kitchen, Kaia holding it while the others dive in for slices--

Close on several people’s hands, holding BEER BOTTLES and gesturing--

Max and Eileen comparing the weight of two of the Bunker’s HISTORIC GUNS--

Garth hugging Dean in farewell. Gesturing wildly with his hands and putting an arm around his wife, indicating they have to get home--

Some miscellaneous hunters trying to wave around the displayed swords from the library, and Eileen LOSING HER SHIT at them. The hunters guiltily lower the swords--

Charlie and Stevie arm wrestling in the middle of the library, surrounded by a bunch of other hunters clapping and cheering--

Behind Claire’s head, from her POV: Dean, looking across to Castiel, as he shakes hands with Bobby and Stevie and hugs Charlie tightly in farewell. Castiel looking back towards Dean as they leave, and Dean turning away before they can catch each other’s gaze.

Reverse angle. Off Claire, staring across the room-- then distracted as Patience pulls her attention back to a game of cards between the younger hunters--

Jody holding forth to Max as he shrugs on a shoulder pack-- 

On Jack, slipping away from the party.

Off Castiel, seeing him go. Frowning...

14

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – JACK’S ROOM – NIGHT 

Jack is in his bedroom, sitting on his bed. He flinches at the sound of a knock at the door.

JACK

Come in.

Castiel does, opening the door gently. Closing it just as gently behind him.

CASTIEL

Are you alright?

JACK

Yes. I... needed some space.

CASTIEL

It’s ok. I find crowds a little overwhelming too. 

JACK

It’s not just that. I feel like I owe them so much more. And Sam and Dean keep lying to people for me, just to protect me from their questions. 

CASTIEL

Humans aren’t well equipped to handle knowledge like that. They’re used to the divine being-- an uncertainty. Inaccessible. Terrifying. Not a person just as fallible as them. And certainly not a child.

JACK

Fallible.

(a beat, then)

I made all these decisions, but I don’t know if they’re the right ones. What-- what... if I should’ve brought people back? I heard Bobby say that I should have brought back Mary, and--

CASTIEL

Jack. Bringing back all those angels and demons, it was enough to cause the whole world to change. If you’d started bringing back the dead too--

JACK

But the Winchesters lost so many people they loved. I could have brought them back. I still can, if Amara--

CASTIEL

You can if you want. I won’t stop you. But I don’t think there’s ever going to be a fair answer. I suppose that’s why Chuck ended up playing favorites. 

JACK

I don’t want this. I don’t want to sit here letting people suffer, and doing nothing to stop it.

CASTIEL

You don’t have to--

JACK

(angry)

I know Cas! I know. And I’ve got to let humans have free will, or there’s no point. I just--

(quiet again, withdrawn)

I just keep thinking about Mary, and all the people from the Apocalypse World, and-- 

Castiel steps in front of Jack. He kneels down on the floor, so that he is looking up at his son.

CASTIEL

You did your best. I cannot imagine the weight of these choices.

JACK

I don’t want to be selfish. I don’t want to be Chuck. But if I could make everyone happy-- shouldn’t I? I feel like I’m letting everyone down.

(getting more upset)

People pray to God, Cas, all the time. I can’t turn it off. And I hear them crying out for help, and I have to stop myself from helping because where would I stop\--

CASTIEL

If the burden is too much for you, then we’ll find a way to remove it. 

JACK

But the balance of--

CASTIEL

Jack. We’ll find a way. 

Jack looks at Cas...

CLOSE ON CAS. Nothing but unshakeable faith in his eyes.

JACK

I just don’t know what the right choice is. What any of the right choices are.

CASTIEL

That’s what it is to have free will. But you’ll find your way, Jack. I have faith in you.

CLOSE ON JACK. A fragile smile. Castiel’s words have given him some reassurance... but have not erased his doubts.

15

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – LIBRARY – NIGHT

Dean, Sam, Eileen, Donna and Jody are sitting at the library table, pouring out shots for each other. A few people are still milling around in the war room including the Wayward Daughters, but the library is otherwise empty.

DONNA

So how many we talkin’ here, fellas? A few hundred per state? A few thousand? We’re gonna need to give the local departments a heads-up.

SAM

Jack didn’t exactly share much.

EILEEN

(looking meaningfully at him and also signing in ASL)

Sam. They can’t help us unless we help them.

JODY

Just tell us what you do know, and we’ll work from there. But you started this thing. You gotta trust these people from the get-go. They’ll sense the slightest hint of doubt from you and buck, quick as a horse.

Sam still hesitates, looking to Dean for guidance. Dean tips back a mouthful of his drink and takes over.

DEAN

Thing is, we have no idea how many angels or demons were in the Empty to begin with. I mean, it’s not even just human history here. It’s all of Creation.

JODY

And what, your angel buddy not know either?

Dean’s jaw tenses. So minutely it’s almost unnoticeable.

DEAN

Even if we knew how many angels and demons had ever lived or died, we don’t know how many Jack made human. Or how to tell them apart from regular humans.

EILEEN

(also signing ‘connected’ and ‘helping’ in ASL)

Jack said he was... ‘connected’ when he was God, because Amara was helping him. But now...

DEAN

Now that he’s consciously uncoupled from the mainframe, or whatever, he can barely remember what he did. We could ask him to change things, but he can’t do anything big without Amara... and even if he could--

SAM

Even if he could, he says it would defeat the point of granting them humanity in the first place. True free will means Jack couldn’t see what they would do with their choices even if he wanted to.

JODY

I like the kid, don’t get me wrong. But I really wish he had screened better, or something. Five suspicious deaths in Sioux Falls in just two weeks.

DEAN

You don’t need to tell us. We’ve been running so flat-out on this damn Fall stuff I’ve barely slept. Every damn day since the clock reset, I’ve been driving over the map trying to sort out something that doesn’t fall into the category of ‘supernatural’ so much as it does regular people crazy. And even when it’s definitely demons, I can’t even exorcise them. I gotta kill ’em or report ’em to the cops.

DONNA

Ya know, I think the normal folks are gonna be more of a problem than the ex-demons with a vendetta. Religious types out my way are halfway to mass human sacrifice.

DEAN

(darkly)

S’pose it could be worse. Right now, most people are still clinging to the hope of this being some sort of hoax, or at least some sort of thing that doesn’t affect them. If Jack hadn’t pushed back the calendar to when people disappeared, we’d have some real mass hysteria on our hands.

SAM

(confident)

Look, I think we can handle things. We’re not dead, and we’re not under Chuck’s control. And that’s a pretty good start from where I’m standing.

He smiles at Eileen and takes her hand. She grins back, eyes sparkling. NAUSEATINGLY IN LOVE.

Jody raises an amused eyebrow. Donna, meanwhile, looks genuinely touched.

DONNA

Aww!

On Dean, seat empty beside him. Smiling, but looking down... some melancholy there. His chair squeaks against the floor as he stands up.

DEAN

Right. I’m gonna hit the hay before I have to deal with you kids going all ‘Love, Actually’ on me.

JODY

“Kids”? Really??

Eileen rolls her eyes and signs ‘goodnight, grandpa’. Sam bursts out laughing. Dean rolls his eyes, but claps his brother on the back with affectionate approval as he passes.

16

EXT. MEN OF LETTERS – DRIVEWAY – NIGHT 

WIDE SHOT of Castiel, in between the remaining parked cars. Staring up at the stars. Pensive.

Claire approaches him from behind, shoes crunching on gravel.

CLAIRE

Hey.

Castiel turns to see her. Pleasantly surprised.

CASTIEL

Claire. Shouldn’t you be inside enjoying yourself?

CLAIRE

Shouldn’t you?

Castiel huffs an almost-laugh.

CASTIEL

A fair point.

Claire walks over to Castiel. Swings herself up on the trunk of Eileen’s car.

CLAIRE

For someone that apparently just saved the world, you don’t seem too happy.

CASTIEL

I’m not unhappy at all. 

(a beat, then) 

How much did they tell you?

CLAIRE

Basically nothing. They won’t tell me what went down, but I’m not dumb. I know you and Sam and Dean saved the world somehow and that’s why we’ve got all this crap on our heads with the Fall or whatever.

CASTIEL

As it turns out, saving the world comes with a lot of complications.

CLAIRE

(snarky)

Yeah, I’ll bet.

(a beat... then, awkwardly)

You wanna talk about it?

Castiel looks at her. She stares back, defiant. Expectant. Oh. She knows.

CLAIRE (CONT’D)

It’s Dean, right?

CASTIEL

Am I that obvious?

CLAIRE

Yeah, dude. For years. I mean I didn’t know for sure. Kind of thought it was funny, really. Then I just got annoyed with both of you.

CASTIEL

Both of us? This isn’t Dean’s fault.

(amending)

Well, admittedly, some of it is, but I put us in our current... situation. I don’t regret... doing what I had to at the time, but we’ve barely spoken since we-- “saved the world”, as you said.

Claire stares at him. Understanding dawning. Holy crap.

CASTIEL (CONT’D)

Of course things have been busy, with the fallout of Jack’s changes. I don’t really blame Dean for-- it’s not his burden to bear.

CLAIRE

(more to herself)

Man, you’re both so screwed up.

CASTIEL

(drily)

Thank you.

Claire grins despite herself. Looks away, hiding how fond her reaction is. Starts idly swinging her legs against the car.

CLAIRE

Kinda funny. You always tried to be my parent, and here I am consoling you over your boyfriend troubles. 

CASTIEL

(with utmost sincerity)

I never wanted to impose on you, I just-- I just wanted you to be safe. And happy. Even if I was a poor excuse for the father I took from you.

Claire is thrown by Castiel’s intensity. She looks at Cas. Then speaks in a rush, as though she needs to get rid of the words as quickly as possible.

CLAIRE

I mean I can’t just-- I can’t just forgive you for Dad. But. You’re probably a pretty good father yourself. I mean you raised Jack, and he seems cool.

(embarrassed, looking away again)

Or Kaia says so, anyway.

CASTIEL

(overwhelmed)

Claire. You have no idea how much that means.

Claire shrugs. Embarrassed, and hiding it in prickliness.

CLAIRE

It’s not like I said anything that wasn’t obvious.

Claire swings her legs out again, then uses the momentum to hop down off Eileen’s car.

CLAIRE (CONT’D)

You’re not an angel anymore, right? You’re gonna freeze out here if you stay all night, even with that insult-to-fashion you’re wearing.

Castiel momentarily looks down at his fuzzy cardigan, confused. It’s an insult to fashion?

CASTIEL

I’ll be warm enough. I like watching the sun rise.

Claire waves a hand dismissively in the air.

CLAIRE

Fine. Suit yourself. But if you die of pneumonia or whatever, I’ll be really mad.

MUSIC CUE: INSTRUMENTAL BGM. Mood should be pensive. Something similar to the lighter parts of ‘[ISN’T IT BROMANTIC](https://youtu.be/IFIjEA5EIi4?t=99)’.

CASTIEL

Goodnight, Claire.

A beat. Then Claire speaks the next two words with far more sincerity and vulnerability than she usually allows to show.

CLAIRE

Night, Cas.

Claire retreats back to the Bunker entrance. We hear the Bunker door creak shut behind her.

WIDE ON CASTIEL, as he looks at the sky. Contemplative.

Transition down to the Bunker below, beginning a single shot that pans through different rooms in the Bunker--

17

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – GUEST ROOM – MORNING

ON DONNA AND JODY. Fully clothed and entirely passed out together on a bed. A TANGLE OF LIMBS. Donna is snoring LOUDLY.

The camera pans across to... 

18

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – SAM’S ROOM – MORNING

Sam and Eileen, sharing Sam’s room. GETTING DRESSED. Sam is brushing his teeth over the sink. He turns around to smile playfully at Eileen with a MOUTH FULL OF TOOTHPASTE. Eileen turns away, rolling her eyes-- but she’s grinning. Fond.

The camera pans across to... 

19

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – GUEST ROOM – MORNING

Kaia and Claire, sitting in bed together. Claire is glaring at her phone, slouched down in the bed. Kaia is sitting upright, reading a book. She glances over at Claire, and kisses her on the head.

The camera pans across to... 

20

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – JACK’S ROOM – MORNING

Jack, sitting cross-legged on his bed. Laptop open. Watching the VIDEO OF KELLY KLINE that was left for him.

The camera pans across to... 

21

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – DEAN’S ROOM – MORNING

Dean, staring at an open closet situated behind his door. Looking at a row of jackets and plaid shirts.

He brushes across the different materials and sees-- the jacket with the bloody handprint on it. He pauses.

CLOSE ON DEAN, tense. Unreadable. Then suddenly, something starts buzzing.

Dean turns around. Sees his DESK. He walks to it and opens the top drawer-- fumbles around among the pile of OTHER PHONES. Finds the buzzing one, and picks it up. It’s a really old flip phone, the model used in early seasons.

Dean flips it open and hits receive. Holds the phone to his ear.

DEAN

Hello?

22

INT. SHERIFF’S OFFICE/DEAN’S ROOM – MORNING – INTERCUT

We see a SHERIFF-- mid-50s, white, been through the mill. He’s holding a CORDED PHONE with one hand while the other rifles through papers on his desk. Extremely STRESSED.

SHERIFF KEN

Hello? This Agent... uh. Bon Jovi?

Dean smirks.

DEAN

Speaking.

SHERIFF KEN

Yeah, we got an old file pulled up that had your number attached to it. Said to call if we ever heard any funny gang activity that mentioned a particular code name.

DEAN

(all business)

Remind me which code name that was, Sheriff?

On the Sheriff. Giving up on the papers on his desk to click through his computer files.

SHERIFF KEN

Uh. Let me pronounce this right-- Azazel? Is that it?

CLOSE ON DEAN. Looking ABSOLUTELY HORRIFIED.

SHERIFF KEN (V.O.) (CONT’D)

Hello? Sir?

BLACKOUT.

END OF ACT ONE

  


## 

  


ACT TWO

23

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – CROW’S NEST – DAY

Open on Sam, rubbing his temple. Laptop open in front of him. Dean is pacing the room behind him. Castiel and Jack stand in a corner, looking a little out of place. Jody is leaning over the war table.

SAM

(disbelieving)

I mean, what, we’re saying Jack brought back Azazel? Azazel had enough of a soul to be human?

DEAN

(dark)

I don’t know, Sam, I’m just telling you what I heard.

JODY

Could be nothing. Criminals use pretentious names all the time. 

Dean turns towards Jack, while Sam goes back to typing something on his laptop.

DEAN

You think a super evil demon could make it past your soul-filter or whatever?

JACK

I-- don’t know. I don’t think so.

CASTIEL

Dean, Jack didn’t do this.

DEAN

Oh, and how do you know? Huh? He brought back a bunch of other demons that seemed just fine murderin’ people. What was the litmus test on being human, anyway? They all line up in pretty dresses and tell Death their greatest wish is world peace?

Sam glances up briefly, then back down to his laptop--

SAM

You said the sheriff’s office was in Cheyenne?

DEAN

(aggressive)

Yeah, and?

SAM

Well. There’s been some recent murders in the area that fit the M.O. of demons.

DEAN

(closing his eyes and seeking strength)

Which M.O. is that, exactly?

SAM

Uh. People strung up and tortured. Creatively.

A beat, and then Dean jerks violently away from the table.

DEAN

Son of a bitch. Son of a bitch!

He swings back around to Jack, pointing at him.

DEAN (CONT’D)

I don’t know what you did, but...

CASTIEL

(icy)

This is likely someone else’s doing.

DEAN

Oh yeah? Who, huh? The demons that don’t have powers anymore? Queen of Hell, maybe? If Rowena’s back, we sure haven’t heard from her. Maybe she’s gone dark side again.

SAM

(certain)

Rowena didn’t do this.

CASTIEL

Anyone could have revived Azazel. Jack and Rowena are not the only people able to use resurrection magic. Nick nearly brought Lucifer back from the Empty, and he was an otherwise unremarkable human.

Dean looks like he’s going to say something aggressive... but then the rationality of Castiel’s words hits. The fight goes out of him.

He turns away from the others again. 

DEAN

(turbulent)

Dammit. Dammit.

JACK

I’m sorry, Dean. This is my fault.

CASTIEL

(to Jack, sharp)

We don’t know that.

Dean turns back around, and opens his mouth to say something-- an apology or further aggravation, we don’t know, because the door of the Bunker SLAMS OPEN--

Everyone looks up. ANGLE ON DONNA, coming in the Bunker entrance-- holding about five trays of COFFEE.

DONNA

Oh, hiya gang. Brought everyone a little pick-me-up--

(noticing their expressions)

Why the glum faces?

Behind her, come the WAYWARDS, carrying bags of supplies. They’re joking around with each other, but stop abruptly behind Donna. The chatter ceases.

SAM

Uh. Thanks, Donna. Um, we’re just talking about a case.

DONNA

Oh, you want help? If it’s our way, we could head back earlier than we planned--

DEAN

No, no. No, Donna. We can handle it.

DONNA

(not buying for a second what he’s selling, but pretending to)

Well, alrighty then. Girls, you wanna help me take this to the kitchen? 

A bit awkwardly, they descend down the stairs one after the other. Absolutely everyone is aware there’s something not being talked about. There’s an extremely pregnant SILENCE.

On Dean, struggling not to react...

On Castiel and Jack, watching the Waywards go past.

DEAN

(flat)

I’m-- I’m gonna go get my things. Sam, we’re leaving in ten minutes.

Sam looks tired. He has no idea how to exorcise this particular ghost.

SAM

Okay, Dean.

Dean leaves, marching out of the war room--

On Castiel, watching him go...

24

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – GARAGE – DAY

Dean walks to the IMPALA with a duffel bag full of stuff he’s collected from his room. He dumps the bag in the trunk. Opens the driver’s side of the car. We cut to--

25

INT. IMPALA – GARAGE – DAY

Inside the Impala. CLOSE ON DEAN, sitting down in his Baby. Taking a deep breath, closing his eyes, and dropping his forehead on to the wheel. 

WIDEN TO REVEAL CLAIRE, sitting in the back seat. She leans over into the gap between the driver and passenger seats.

CLAIRE

Hey.

Dean JERKS UP away from the steering wheel.

DEAN

Son of a... what the hell are you doing in my car?

CLAIRE

It’s not like you lock it.

DEAN

(sacrilege)

It’s my car!

CLAIRE

Oh, I get it. big American beast on the road, overcompensating for something, etcetera--

DEAN

Oh, you’re real cute.

CLAIRE

My girlfriend thinks so.

DEAN

(thrown)

Uh, well. Congrats. But you know, you don’t get to sit in my car just ’cos you’re...

(struggling)

...happy.

CLAIRE

Yeah, this seems like a sad person vehicle. Like-- 

(in a bad imitation of Dean that’s sort of more like Elvis)

I don’t need nobody, ’cos I got the road and my man tears.

DEAN

I don’t sound like-- you know, I don’t gotta answer to you.

CLAIRE

Kinda think you do.

DEAN

Oh yeah?

CLAIRE

Yeah, you’re like my... Step-dad once removed, or something.

(pointedly)

Aren’t you?

Dean tries to work that one out... then gives up when he realizes the implications will be bad no matter which way he swings it.

DEAN

We’re not talkin’ about this. Get out of my car.

CLAIRE

No.

DEAN

Claire Novak--

CLAIRE

Oh, now you’re gonna pretend to be my father?

Dean runs a hand over his face. He did not sign up for this.

CLAIRE (CONT’D)

Back when he was still alive--

A beat. Not the easiest memory for her to talk about.

CLAIRE (CONT’D)

You know Cas possessed me, right? It was seriously-- I can’t even describe it. Said stuff about how I was chosen, how it was in my blood, and that he could save my dad. So I just said yes. And then it was... Like a rollercoaster ride that just kept falling, and falling. I would have been screaming the whole time, if I could’ve opened my mouth. But even when I was out of my mind, I got glimmers of his thoughts. His feelings.

Dean doesn’t like where this is going at all.

DEAN

Claire...

CLAIRE

Dad took him back to spare me from that. Gave his life for it. So yeah, Cas is never gonna replace my dad. But I know how much he cares about people. How much he cares about you. And even I can see how much you’re hurting him. So... when are you gonna man up about it?

DEAN

You don’t know what this is about.

CLAIRE

(sarcastic as hell)

Sure I don’t.

DEAN

(angrier)

You know just because you’re-- you just don’t got a right to tell people how-- how they feel. Alright?

CLAIRE

Fine. Fine!

26

INT. GARAGE / INT. IMPALA – DAY – INTERCUT

Claire slams open the IMPALA DOOR, and storms out. Then she turns back, and screams--

CLAIRE (CONT’D)

I was just trying to help you, asshole!

ON DEAN, in his car--

DEAN

Yeah well, screw you, princess!

Claire turns again, blonde hair whipping out behind her, and marches out of the garage.

Dean sits in his car. Contemplating what his life has come to.

He raises a fist to bang on the wheel of the Impala, and we cut to--

27

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – CROW’S NEST – DAY

WIDE on Sam, Castiel, Jody and Jack standing at the war table. Sam has a duffle bag slung over his shoulder. A LOUD CLANGING SOUND rings out from the direction of the garage... like, for example, a shelving unit holding a lot of paint cans has been tipped over.

ANGLE ON Sam, wincing at the sound. Grimacing.

SAM

Uh so, Cas, you and Jack, good to uh--

CASTIEL

(frosty)

You don’t need to worry, Sam.

SAM

(decides not to ask)

Uh, okay. Great. And uh, Jody--

JODY

The girls and I will hold the fort. Where is Eileen, by the way?

Sam blushes, and runs a hand over the back of his head. VERY EMBARRASSED.

SAM

Um, she uh, went to. Kansas City to get... something. Anyway. I don’t know, she’ll be back. Soon, probably.

JACK

(oblivious)

I hope she didn’t double up on any of the shopping!

Jody smirks, and Sam looks like he wants to die. Clearly Eileen was not going to Kansas City for family-friendly groceries.

JODY

You need us, you just give us a call, Sam. Wyoming isn’t too far. We can make a detour on our way back to Sioux Falls.

SAM

That’s too far out of your way. I appreciate it, but we’ll be fine-- this will probably be nothing, just a couple of low-ranking demons trying to get back on top.

JODY

Sam. You were just talking to a whole bunch of hunters in here. Telling them about how we need to work together and so on. So don’t you hesitate to call for backup, you hear me? Besides, the last thing the Association needs is its fearless leader going down a mere day after its first official meeting.

Sam laughs, a little sheepish.

SAM

Uh, I-- guess you’re right. Thanks, Jody. I will. 

DEAN storms in, staying pointedly on the other side of the archway.

DEAN

(aggressive)

What’s taking so long?

With a desperate, apologetic look to Castiel, Sam leaves after Dean.

Castiel looks down at the table. Fists clenched. Obviously upset, but unable to do anything about it.

28

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – GARAGE – DAY

Sam and Dean stride through the garage towards the Impala. Defensive body language signaling a FIGHT--

SAM

Why the hell are you being such a jerk, Dean?

DEAN

I don’t know wha--

A pause. He considers denying it. Then shrugs, ‘fuck it’, opens the driver’s door of the Impala. 

DEAN (CONT’D)

Get in the car.

Sam rolls his eyes, but opens the door on his side of the Impala--

29

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – GALLEY – DAY

Jody enters the kitchen, Jack close on her heels... but he stops at the doorway. Looks around at the WAYWARDS, bullying each other and making a mess. He obviously feels out of place, despite the Bunker being his own home.

JACK

(mostly to Jody)

Do you need help?

JODY

Not at all. You go have a break-- God knows you probably need it, living with those boys. We can handle this.

JACK

(slightly frustrated)

But I want to help.

DONNA

Oh, let him help if he wants. Too many cooks in the kitchen makes for light work, right Jodes?

JODY

(irritated, but fond)

Stop getting those wrong on purpose just to annoy me.

DONNA

But it’s so fun. Ain’t it, kids?

ALEX

(completely somber)

We’re just pulling your foot, Jody.

PATIENCE

(copying her faux seriousness)

Oh, I don’t know. Maybe we shouldn’t stab a dead horse.

CLAIRE

(rolling her eyes)

Don’t give up your night shift, you two.

Kaia walks up to Jack, and presses a roller into his hand.

KAIA

We bought all this food thinking we could cook the Winchesters a sort of thank-you dinner.

JACK

(brightly)

Oh! Like Thanksgiving!

KAIA

(wincing)

Yeah, sort of. Only with less murder.

JACK

I vastly prefer the dinners with less murder too.

Kaia’s lips twitch. Very amused by his strange innocence.

KAIA

Well, that’s a relief. You could help me with the pie, if you like. I’ve just started on the pastry.

JACK

(beaming)

I’d love to.

Kaia and Jack exchange a warm smile. Kindred spirits.

Behind them, Claire and Alex glance at each other. Claire rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling too.

CUT TO:

30

EXT. IMPALA – TOWN OUTSKIRTS ROAD – SUNSET

Wide shot of the Impala gracing an American highway. A beautiful evening sky in the background.

31

INT. IMPALA – TOWN OUTSKIRTS ROAD – SUNSET

Back to Sam and Dean. Time has clearly passed since we last saw them-- sunset aside, the two are now wearing their FBI SUITS. A song is playing on the car stereo. The volume is low, the music barely noticeable background noise.

MUSIC CUE: a fair bit into “[THE RIVER](https://youtu.be/zHnZP2FmLCc?t=97)” by BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN. Music runs quietly under dialogue.

There’s a few moments of companionable silence. Then Sam decides he’s waited long enough.

SAM

So are you gonna tell me what’s up with you and Cas?

DEAN

(mulish)

No.

SAM

’Cos I would have thought you’d be happier. Getting him back from the dead twice-- hell, what has it been now? Ten, twelve times? 

DEAN

(lying through his teeth)

I don’t keep track.

SAM

Sure, yeah. And you don’t care when he’s gone either, you definitely don’t drink yourself stupid--

DEAN

(a warning)

Sam.

SAM

\--but the second he comes back it’s all bitch fights and surly attitudes! You know sometimes you remind me so much of Dad it scares me. 

DEAN

Dad did what he had to.

SAM

Like hell, Dean! Dad didn’t have to do any of it. He was so fixated on revenge, we never got to be normal.

DEAN

(acidic)

I thought you said you didn’t want to be normal.

SAM

It still would have been nice to have a home outside of this car.

He kicks the glovebox gently in emphasis, and Dean glares at him.

DEAN

Don’t you touch Baby.

SAM

Come on, Dean--!

A pause, as Sam gathers himself for the assault. Once more unto the breach.

SAM (CONT’D)

Jack said, sometimes it felt like you were trying to be something you’re not. And I think maybe that thing is Dad.

DEAN

(amused)

Jack said that, huh?

Sam exhales. Relieved he’s not getting his head bitten off.

SAM

Yeah, he did.

DEAN

(to himself, and with no real heat)

Kids these days. Friggin’-- creepy, is what it is. All of ’em.

SAM

Was he wrong? Our whole lives, you’ve been following after Dad, doing what he told you to do. Looking after me, and hunting the things you’re meant to.

DEAN

(defensive)

What’s wrong with huntin’?

SAM

You don’t have to do it anymore! You don’t have to do what Dad or Chuck told you! Don’t you get it, Dean? You can finally do what you want. 

(pointedly)

Like Jesse and Cesar. They got out. They’re happy.

DEAN

I’m not--

(a pause, then changing tack) 

Look, there’s still stuff out there that we gotta fight. Like Azazel. Monsters that prey on people.

SAM

And we’ve got a whole network of hunters now that can handle that. What, you really want to go down swinging just because you couldn’t quit even after arthritis kicked in?

DEAN

Wow.

SAM

You always said that nobody in their right mind would choose this life. That you wished you could do something other than hunting.

Up to this point, Dean has barely glanced at him for more than a moment. But after this last statement, Dean stares at Sam for a long beat. Then he looks back to the road. Eyes straight ahead as he replies-- finally honest.

DEAN

(quietly) 

I don’t know who I am without it.

SAM

Hunting, or Dad?

No response. Obviously both.

DEAN

Is that a stupid thing to be scared of?

SAM

(affectionate, chuckling slightly) 

Stupider than monsters, yeah.

DEAN

(looking sideways at Sam)

Alright, bitch.

SAM

(grinning again)

Jerk.

32

EXT./INT. IMPALA – SHERIFF’S OFFICE – TWILIGHT

They pull up in front of a sheriff’s office. Cut back inside, where Sam turns to Dean as he stops the car--

SAM

You really need to talk to Cas, you know.

DEAN

Oh, come on. We really starting this again? Just-- let’s go talk to the sheriff before he calls it for the day. 

They get out of the car, slamming doors shut behind them. Both of them half-jog across the street towards the entrance of the building. 

33

INT. SHERIFF’S OFFICE – TWILIGHT

The last rays of the sun are peeking through the slats in the blinds. SHERIFF KEN stands at his work desk, the office otherwise empty.

SAM

Sheriff Ken?

SHERIFF KEN

(looking up from his desk)

Was wonderin’ when you two would be in.

DEAN

Sorry, sheriff, had a long drive.

He and Sam flash their FAKE FBI BADGES at him.

SHERIFF KEN

Agent Bon Jovi though? Really? When I saw that in the system, I thought I was being had. Rang up my predecessor and asked if it was a joke.

Sam gives Dean a bitchy look, like ‘yeah, it is a dumbass name’.

DEAN

(full charm)

Well. You know how it is, we run out of codenames pretty fast. Can’t have the Corleones tracking us from state to state.

SHERIFF KEN

Uh, right. Understandable.

He picks up a thin folder full of loose paper off his desk. Moves towards the brothers.

SHERIFF KEN (CONT’D)

So as I told Bon Jovi here on the phone, we got a ping this morning on that Azazel name. Couple of the boys were at the Rothschild Motel-- run-down joint, gets a lot of no-gooders-- and they heard a strange conversation between two of the guests. Something about demon blood and injections. We think it’s a new street drug. But the toxicology reports on the vics have come back clean, so...

He shrugs. Holds out the folder to Dean. Picks up his coat from where it has been hanging off the edge of his desk.

SHERIFF KEN (CONT’D)

Anyway, I had the boys do up that file for you, so unless there’s anything else--

ON DEAN, frowning. Hand out to hold him back.

DEAN

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hang on. What’s the big rush? We might have a couple of questions.

Sam looks at the sheriff pointedly.

SAM

There a reason you’re so keen to get home?

The sheriff looks from one to the other, and then sighs-- caught out.

SHERIFF KEN (CONT’D)

No. Look, I mean, there’s just been a lot of violence around here recently, you know? And my wife, and my kid...

He looks at them, pleading.

SHERIFF KEN

I don’t want to go home to find them-- or, have them find me--

DEAN

Yeah, we get it. But just a few questions--

SHERIFF KEN

\--I’m finally happy, you know, and then this whole spree of murders happens, and the things they do to those victims--

OFF SAM AND DEAN, exchanging a look.

SHERIFF KEN (CONT’D)

(still rambling)

\--and Sarah, she’s so young--

DEAN

(cutting in)

Alright, alright. Steady on, soldier. Just a couple of questions, and we’ll let you go home.

SHERIFF KEN

I-- alright.

Sam looks at Dean, who subtly gives him a ‘go on’ tilt of his head. While Sam is talking, Dean takes the folder from the sheriff and flicks through it.

SAM

So there have been five deaths and three vics still in critical condition, is that right?

SHERIFF KEN

Yes. 

SAM

And any connections you can see between the vics or the scenes of the crimes?

SHERIFF KEN

Not that we can see. All different ages, races, sexes. Socio-economic backgrounds. Crime scenes, let’s see-- 

(checking them off)

Two abandoned warehouses, two break-and-enters, one hospital ward, one morgue, a church crypt, and bizarrely, a Biggerson’s kitchen down on Avery Street.

SAM

Right. 

DEAN

(looking up from his folder)

And these vics, any of them, uh.

Dean glances at Sam, unsure what the police are calling the newly ex-demon population.

DEAN (CONT’D)

John or Jane Does?

SHERIFF KEN

Well, a lot of their remains were pretty badly damaged beyond recognition. But we’ve managed to match two missing persons.

(he nods to the folder)

One was John Argent, strange old fellow who disappeared years ago. He was sent to a mental facility for spouting some stuff about angels and the apocalypse.

Dean shoots Sam a brief, pointed stare.

DEAN

Right. And the other?

SHERIFF KEN

Local kid. Billy Cho. Sad, really. Barely out of school, although his family seem to think he got into some cult stuff.

SAM

Cult, like...

SHERIFF KEN

What-d’you-call-’em. Wiccans. You know, Satan worship, that kind of thing.

Dean and Sam share a look. Great. Apocalypse days all over again.

SAM

Anything else you can think of that’s happened recently that’s odd? Out of place?

SHERIFF KEN

No, not really. We’re a quiet town, you know? Hasn’t been organized crime here since the ’70s, and even that was a gang just passing through.

He pauses, timid. A mouse eager to run back into its hidey-hole.

SHERIFF KEN (CONT’D)

I figured you boys should be the ones to handle this. Sounds like it’s above my paygrade. 

Sam and Dean give him big, fake, reassuring smiles. Coward.

SAM

Right. And this conversation that was overheard, your officers wouldn’t happen to have a rough transcript somewhere?

SHERIFF KEN

Transcript? I can do better than that.

He walks around to the back of his desk again, clicking on his computer mouse.

Meanwhile, Dean shows Sam something from the folder-- a photo taken at one of the crime scenes. A DEMONIC SIGIL carved into a wooden wall, covered in blood.

SHERIFF KEN (CONT’D)

Here it is.

He swivels the computer monitor around to face them.

The video is a shaky, low-quality, portrait-view phone recording... but the voices are distinct--

TORTURER 2 (V.O.)

So, you think we can pull this off? 

TORTURER 1 (V.O.)

What are you, a pussy?

TORTURER 2 (V.O.)

(nervous)

What if we bring him back wrong, and the boss gets mad.

TORTURER 1 (V.O.)

Listen, you little limbo-worm, we’ve done this before. There’s nothing that’s going to go wrong, as long as we have a vessel and enough demon blood on tap to juice ’em up. And we will have enough, thanks to that witch kid’s stores. Just don’t screw up the transfusion.

TORTURER 2 (V.O.)

Uh, yeah. I won’t.

TORTURER 1 (V.O.)

Good. Man, I can’t wait for Azazel to rule this place and make us feel like something again. I had to dumpster dive for food the past week. Like some sort of savage.

TORTURER 2 (V.O.)

Mm. Do you think we’ll have to torture any more people, though?

TORTURER 1 (V.O.)

Are you kidding? We’re resurrecting Alastair, dude--

CLOSE ON DEAN. Eyes wide in horror.

TORTURER 1 (V.O.) (CONT’D)

\--do you even know who he is?

BLACKOUT.

END OF ACT TWO

  


## 

  


ACT THREE

34

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – CROW’S NEST – NIGHT

The WAYWARDS have laid out an extravagant feast on the war table. There are even decorations strung up around the war room. Similar to 15.14 LAST HOLIDAY but more Hunter culture-- think devil’s trap baubles and oddly-shaped bones as candle holders.

Claire drags Castiel forwards through the alcove archway--

CASTIEL

I don’t see why I had to stay out of the-- oh. What is all this?

WAYWARDS

SURPRISE!

CLAIRE

(barely hiding her annoyance with the Winchesters)

We were going to make dinner for Sam and Dean too, as thanks for saving the world or whatever. But... I guess it’s fine if it’s just for you and Jack.

DONNA

It was tonight or never. We can’t stay another day away from home. And ya know, Sam and Dean can have the leftovers.

CASTIEL

This is all-- overwhelming.

Then, a banging noise from upstairs as the MAIN BUNKER DOOR opens--

EILEEN

Sam?

Eileen looks over the balcony and sees everyone standing below... along with all the food and decorations.

EILEEN (CONT’D)

(confused, but grinning)

Oh my god. What’s happening?

Eileen is carrying three opaque bags full of what looks like books and hunting equipment. She walks down the stairs, smiling disbelievingly.

Meanwhile Claire drags out a chair for Castiel, looking at him expectantly, and Castiel goes over towards it--

JODY

(to Eileen, also signing ‘welcome home’ in ASL)

Welcome back.

DONNA

We’re throwing a party! 

JODY

(also signing ‘hunting’ in ASL)

Sam’s gone for a hunt with Dean.

EILEEN

Yes, he texted me...

She briefly looks disappointed. Then smiles, gestures towards the corridors, like ‘I’m gonna put these bags down and be back...’

Jody waves at her to go ahead. She ducks out into the corridors.

On Castiel, left behind-- still struggling to reckon with their generosity.

CASTIEL

This is all very kind. I’m sure Sam and Dean would have appreciated this.

PATIENCE

You don’t need to canonize us or anything. I mean, we’re the ones who are going to be doing most of the eating.

ALEX

Yeah, I mean. Any excuse to throw a party.

DONNA

Oh, you’d know, wouldn’t cha?

She glares at Alex. Clearly Alex is not out of the bad books for some previous party-throwing.

ALEX

I told you I was gonna have some friends over!

JODY

Alex, please. Let’s try to have one night without an argument.

ALEX

(under her breath)

Donna started it.

Thankfully, Eileen returns and they’re distracted--

EILEEN

(excitedly)

You guys really did all this in one afternoon?

JODY

(with a sly smile)

Oh, it was nothing. Piece of pie.

DONNA

(in shock)

Jodes! 

CLAIRE

Oh, great, now even Jody’s fallen to it.

CASTIEL

(confused)

Um. Am I missing something--?

JACK

(conspiratorial, to Castiel)

It’s a game where they use idioms incorrectly in order to tease each other.

CASTIEL

I see.

JODY

(drawing out a chair)

Come on, Eileen, sit down. We’ve gotta start eating before this food gets cold.

Everyone takes a seat at the table and begins to serve themselves food. People pass plates around. ALL SMILING. Talking animatedly with each other.

CUT TO:

35

INT. IMPALA – ROTHSCHILD MOTEL – NIGHT

Sam and Dean are in the Impala, looking across at a DINGY MOTEL on the other side of the road. It’s clear they’re on a STAKE OUT. 

Sam squints at the sign, which is barely legible since so many of the lights are out. Supposedly ‘Rothschild Motel’, but now reads something like ‘Rot child el’.

Dean wraps his forearms around himself and rubs along the side of his arms.

DEAN

Man, it’s freezing in here.

SAM

Maybe if you’d worn the thermal underlayers I keep talking about--

DEAN

Yeah, and the minute I start moving in those things I sweat like Patrick Bateman.

SAM

You should really use the gym more, Dean.

DEAN

(childish retort)

Yeah, well, you should-- use the--

(trailing off)

Never mind.

A brief pause, as Dean looks for a change of topic.

DEAN (CONT’D)

So, these new bodies people are wearing. Did they exist before the Fall? Like, did people get their old bodies back, or did Jack randomly generate new ones?

(shuddering)

Hope nobody else out there is wearing a me-suit.

SAM

You mean apart from the douche-you from douche-world we sent to South America?

DEAN

Ugh. Don’t remind me. 

SAM

You know if we ever get in trouble with the feds again, they’d be pretty useful body doubles.

Dean twists away from staring out at the warehouse in order to perform a theatrical double take at Sam.

DEAN

(put on Southern accent)

Well, I never. Young Sammy grew up to be a scoundrel.

SAM

(failing to hide a grin)

We could bail them out afterwards!

Suddenly, they see the TWO TORTURERS walk out of the motel. The shorter of the two trips over something in the dark.

DEAN

Crap. Go time. You sure your GPS tracker thing is going to work?

SAM

Yes, Dean. Quit asking.

DEAN

I hate this. We’re basically just regular feds now. What happened to good old-fashioned sulfur-sniffing? A little ‘Christo’ here and there?

Sam gives him A Look, but the sound of VEHICLE DOORS CLOSING distracts them both before they can argue--

Sam and Dean watch the torturers get into an UNMARKED VAN, and drive off.

Dean turns the keys in the ignition of the IMPALA, and slowly follows behind them.

36

EXT. MEN OF LETTERS – CROW’S NEST – NIGHT

CLOSE ON a plate of mostly-eaten DESSERT PIE. PULL FOCUS to CASTIEL, behind the pie. Smiling softly.

MID SHOT on the gathering. Most of the feast has now been cleared off the table. All that remains are scattered dessert bowls in various states of cleanliness. They’re all looking at Claire as she speaks.

CLOSE ON CLAIRE, grinning, looking from side to side as she explains the rules of the game. Clearly the M.C. of this event. Holding a HAND OF CARDS, fanned out in front of her. PULL BACK as she talks.

CLAIRE

Each night the doctor is allowed to save one player. But they don’t know whether they’ve saved the right one.

JACK

I have a question.

CLAIRE

Yes. 

JACK

What if a werewolf decides to be good?

ALEX

We’re uh, not playing that version.

JACK

(frowning)

But what if the werewolves decide not to kill anyone?

PATIENCE

(irritated)

Listen, it’s a game. You’ve just gotta go along with it, okay? You have to want to win no matter what team you’re on.

JODY

(warning)

Patience.

CASTIEL

I think I understand. This is a simulated roleplay, much like the kind Dean enjoys.

The most DEAFENING silence EVER experienced.

CASTIEL (CONT’D)

Oh. Perhaps I wasn’t meant to mention that.

DONNA

(barely containing her laughter)

Gee, I’d say.

CASTIEL

I... believe it is meant to be a fun group activity. Dean and Charlie seemed to enjoy their experiences at the LARPing festival a lot. They frequently reminisced about it.

Claire looks like Christmas has come early.

CLAIRE

(strangled)

At the LARPing\--??

JODY

(firmly overriding her, saving Castiel’s ass)

Anyway, to make things more interesting, and make you all more tolerable, nobody will be allowed to speak except Eileen. To that end, God-- run us through the signs for each different character role.

Eileen grins widely. She gives a sly grin to Jack, then points at herself.

EILEEN

(signing for ‘God’.)

God.

EILEEN (CONT’D)

(signing for ‘Wolf’.)

Werewolf.

Camera pans around the table, as we see different people imitate the expressions for ‘Doctor’ and ‘Witch’ as Eileen teaches them.

EILEEN (V.O.) (CONT’D)

Doctor. Witch.

CUT TO:

37

INT. IMPALA – ABANDONED MOTEL – NIGHT

Sam and Dean pull up behind the parked van. They’re outside a completely abandoned, dilapidated motel. It is almost unrecognizable as such.

DEAN

The hell is this place?

SAM

Google Maps says it’s an old motel.

DEAN

What, another motel? Seriously? These guys not get enough of the genuine Pit Ritz experience at the last one?

SAM

Well, this one obviously isn’t being surveilled by police.

38

EXT. ABANDONED MOTEL – NIGHT

Sam and Dean get out of the car, and start skulking towards the motel.

DEAN

(slightly hushed)

How do demons find these places anyway? They got a TripAdvisor for creepiest stays in rural America? Four stars, found a dead woman in the shower but the blood stains on the walls didn’t seem very authen--

A movement along the top balcony catches Sam’s eye, and he draws Dean back into the shadows behind the exterior wall.

SAM

(furious whisper)

Dean, shut up.

ANGLE to REVEAL... TORTURER 1. Standing right behind Sam and Dean.

TORTURER 1

Oh, I think it’s a bit late for that.

The man LUNGES, and with the element of surprise catches Sam unaware. He jabs him with a TASER-- with a SPARK OF ELECTRICITY and a ZAPPING NOISE, Sam’s immediately ELECTROCUTED. He falls over. KNOCKED OUT. 

Dean draws up his gun to shoot, but the man hurls a METAL BALL towards him-- it EXPLODES WITH SPARKS, sending Dean, SHAKING, ELECTROCUTED, PARALYSED-- to the ground. 

TORTURER 1 (CONT’D)

You know, I always found the newest recruits the most creative. Thousands of years of the same stock standard implements of torture, and suddenly the youngsters are dragging machines into the Pit, putting souls on assembly lines. Electricity and automation. The way you youngsters can find uses for technology-- well, that’s something else. 

DEAN

S-S-S-am--

TORTURER 1

(mocking him)

“S-S-S-am”. Human meatsuits really are weak, aren’t they? 

TORTURER 2

(emerging from the shadows)

You got ’em?

TORTURER 1

No thanks to you. Get the cuffs on while they’re still down. 

Torturer 2 leans down over Sam and digs his hands out from under him. He gets out SHINY SILVER HANDCUFFS from his pockets, and wraps them around his wrists. 

DEAN

W-whazzat?

TORTURER 1

Oh, just some special cuffs we found at a witch’s house. See, we might not be demons anymore, but magic? Magic still works just fine.

Torturer 2 makes his way to Dean now. But just as he’s about to put the cuffs on Dean--

Dean JERKS OUT with his foot, and sends TORTURER 2 CRASHING TO THE GROUND. Dean FIRES clumsily from his gun, and the bullet hits at POINT BLANK RANGE.

CLOSE ON TORTURER 2-- DEAD. His eyes unfocus. Vacant.

TORTURER 1 (CONT’D)

For crying out loud.

Torturer 1 KICKS THE GUN AWAY from Dean’s hand. Before Dean can react, he’s SNAPPED cuffs on to Dean’s wrists.

TORTURER 1 (CONT’D)

There. No escape now.

ON DEAN... staring up at him bitterly.

CUT TO:

39

EXT. MEN OF LETTERS – GALLEY – NIGHT

Castiel and Eileen are washing dishes. We can hear laughter and general frivolity coming from the main rooms. Suds are spilling over the sink as Castiel scrubs. Eileen is drying with a towel and putting plates back onto a drying rack.

CASTIEL

I appreciate the help, Eileen. Really.

EILEEN

No, no. They cooked for us, so it’s only fair we clean. Besides, with the boys gone, we’re in charge, right?

Castiel smiles back at her in acknowledgement... but it’s tinged with sadness. He turns back to the dishes.

CASTIEL

I suppose so. 

Eileen looks at Castiel properly, and puts down the plate she’s finished drying. She taps Castiel on the shoulder for attention.

EILEEN

(also signing in ASL)

Did you fight with Dean?

Castiel sighs, and starts draining the dirty water out of the sink. As he does, Eileen picks up another plate and starts drying again.

CASTIEL

We always fight. I don’t-- I said something I shouldn’t have, and now it feels worse than before.

EILEEN

Said what?

Castiel’s gaze falls down to the floor.

CASTIEL

I’m not sure he would appreciate me sharing that. I certainly don’t think he appreciated hearing it.

Eileen puts down her plate, and takes Castiel’s suds-soaked hand in between two of her own.

EILEEN

(with utmost sympathy)

Cas. He’ll come around. He loves you.

Another sad smile from Castiel. Then, meeting her eyes, a HUSHED, half-apologetic CONFESSION--

CASTIEL

Not the same way I love him.

OFF EILEEN, struggling to find the words she needs-- but they’re interrupted before she can.

JACK (O.C.)

Cas? We have a problem.

ANGLE TO REVEAL Jack behind them, and beside him-- AMARA.

AMARA

Heaven’s falling apart.

BLACKOUT.

END OF ACT THREE

  


## 

  


ACT FOUR

40

EXT. MEN OF LETTERS – GALLEY – NIGHT

Back on Castiel, shocked and confused.

CASTIEL

Heaven’s power is still failing? But-- I don’t understand. Did you not both remake it when you remade everything else?

AMARA

We did. But we remade it just as it was, warts and all. Then Jack cut a few holes in the fabric so souls could be reincarnated, if they wanted to. Between the holes and the loose threads... the tapestry is falling apart.

JACK

(distraught)

It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have started messing around with things.

CASTIEL

No. It’s not your fault. Heaven was held together by-- as humans would say, spit, duct tape and prayer. Without the power of the angels to hold it together--

JACK

But I took the power of the angels. It’s in me. So, what if I give it back...?

CASTIEL

(to Amara)

Would that work?

AMARA

I’m not sure. The balance between the Light and the Darkness right now is tenuous at best. If Jack dissolves his own power--

CASTIEL

It could tip the cosmic scales. 

EILEEN

What if you did it too?

The ex-and-current cosmic entities turn to Eileen, mostly forgotten until this moment.

EILEEN (CONT’D)

Can’t you-- put your power into Heaven, too?

Amara considers this human. Interesting.

AMARA

My power is not compatible with Heaven. Heaven is the purest expression of God’s power; my essence would corrupt it. Make it imperfect.

EILEEN

(also signing in ASL)

Is that so bad?

The others are confused by this question.

EILEEN (CONT’D)

(also intermittently signing in ASL)

I don’t remember anything from when I was dead. But Sam told me Heaven is a loop of your best memories. And maybe Heaven shouldn’t be like that. Maybe it should be... more like Earth.

(looking at Castiel)

Good and bad. 

Jack, Amara and Castiel consider this.

JACK

Could we do it?

AMARA

We’d need to remake Heaven entirely. Build a new system.

JACK

But would it be possible?

AMARA

(unreadable)

If I dissolved my own essence into the fabric of the afterlife.

A beat, as everyone absorbs the gravity of what they’re asking Amara to do.

CASTIEL

(gravely)

Whatever we choose to do, I suggest we do it soon. We need to mend whatever we can, as soon as we can. If Heaven falls--

AMARA

We’ll have a much bigger problem to fix.

EILEEN

How big?

AMARA

The afterlife dimensions exist for a reason. Billions of souls falling to Earth? The mortal plane can’t take that kind of pressure. The veil would burst, and the spiritual ecosystem would collapse. And then chaos would leak into the physical realm too.

JACK

Like dominos falling over.

AMARA

Yes. One by one, the strings would be cut, until the fabric of reality started unravelling. And at that point, I fear not even you and I would be able to mend it.

Jack turns to Castiel. Pleading.

JACK

Cas, will you come? You know Heaven-- you love Heaven-- better than Amara or I ever could. If anyone could find a way to fix it--

CLAIRE (O.C.)

Hey, are you guys gonna--

She enters, and stares at the solemn scene before her. At Amara, a stranger-- who regards her with regal disdain.

CLAIRE (CONT’D)

Um. Hey. I was-- uh, gonna tell you guys we’re gonna head back soon.

She narrows her eyes at Amara and makes a clear ‘who’s this??’ expression at Jack and Castiel.

JACK

Claire, this is my aunt Amara. She’s God’s sister.

CLAIRE

Wait-- wait, what?

AMARA

It is more accurate to say I am half of God, now. 

CLAIRE

(years of training in being blasé for this moment)

Whoa. Okay. Cool. And old God is like, AWOL, or...?

CASTIEL

(with relish)

He’s dead. Finally.

CLAIRE

(pointedly)

Guess we all have daddy issues, huh?

A beat, as Castiel winces, and Amara raises her eyebrows at the impertinence of this human. 

AMARA

(intrigued)

Did Dean raise this child?

CLAIRE

No!!

JODY (O.C.)

Claire? I want to get back before sunrise if possible--

Jody enters, and finds the kitchen in a strange state of tension.

JODY (CONT’D)

(to Amara; tense, dangerous and professional)

Hello. I’m sorry, I didn’t see you come in...?

CLAIRE

Yeah, that’s God’s sister. What, you haven’t met?

JODY

(looking between Jack and Amara) 

Ah. So, you’re Amara.

AMARA

I go by that name, yes.

CLAIRE

(nonchalance dropped)

Wait, you knew about this? 

JODY

Claire--

AMARA

(interrupting)

I see that families are as complicated as ever. Perhaps this is a good opportunity for us to take our leave.

EILEEN

Wait!

The group turns to Eileen again. She looks pained. Eileen looks at Castiel, trying to communicate something but unable to say the words.

EILEEN (CONT’D)

(also signing in ASL)

Fixing Heaven. How long--?

Amara and Castiel exchange a look. Jack looks miserable.

CASTIEL

I don’t know.

AMARA

When Jack and I remade the world, we existed outside time. But now, we must operate under the laws of the universe again.

JACK

(feigning optimism)

We’ll try to be back really soon.

JODY

(weakly)

Well, come say your farewells to the girls, at least. They’ve really taken a shine to you, Jack.

JACK

Alright.

Castiel, Jack and Amara follow Jody out to the war room. Claire turns to look at Eileen.

CLAIRE

(stumbling to sign with halting, flawed ASL as she says it) 

They’re-- going-- to be-- so freaking mad.

ON EILEEN, looking sympathetic again.

EILEEN

(also signing in ASL)

Yes. I know.

CUT TO:

41

INT. MOTEL LOBBY – NIGHT

Sam and Dean are being dragged through the motel lobby by TORTURER 1. The lobby is an absolute wreck-- walls are stained green with mildew and mold, carpet is rotted through. Every inch of space screams ‘decrepit’. 

Camera tracks Sam and Dean as Torturer 1 takes them through the room. Then on the other side of the lobby we see A MAN in a janitor’s overalls, stained through with blood and grime. Azazel, although Sam and Dean don’t know that yet. He’s reading a newspaper dispassionately, but looks up with interest at the newcomers.

AZAZEL

Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in.

He stands to his feet, and saunters over towards the Winchesters. Then stops dead in his tracks. Astounded.

AZAZEL (CONT’D)

(to Torturer 1)

Mammon, you fool, do you have any idea who you just brought in through my door?

Mammon looks like a resentful kid called out for not turning in his homework.

MAMMON

It’s not like I can see their souls any more.

AZAZEL

Ah yes. I forgot you never managed to come topside. Well, let me introduce you to the most famous men of our time--

Azazel steps forward, and tips Sam’s head up so that he can look directly down into his eyes.

AZAZEL (CONT’D)

My chosen son. The boy who would be king.

Sam recoils violently, but he can’t get out of the hold that Mammon has on him.

SAM

(with utmost loathing)

Azazel!

AZAZEL

Oh, don’t struggle, now. Those handcuffs will just sap more of your strength.

He turns to Dean, slow and drawn out.

AZAZEL (CONT’D)

You know I didn’t appreciate you enough, Dean. I heard all about your work on the Rack. True artistry, I’m told. A once-in-a-generation talent.

DEAN

Go to hell, you son of a bitch.

AZAZEL

Haven’t you heard? Hell’s closed. Permanently. Lucky for me, though, I had a few fans that slipped out into humanity. Imagine how honored I felt when they said I was their chosen pick to lead our kind back to greatness.

MAMMON

You are a master strategist, sir.

AZAZEL

(lazily running a knife up Dean’s chest)

Thank you, Mammon. You want to know the secret? All good things take time. Lucifer, Lilith, Abaddon-- always rushing into things. But me? I know that to make something really work, you have to wait years. Lay the groundwork. Let the seeds take root. 

(to Sam)

Do you drink wine, Sam?

Sam glares at him, but with Azazel’s knife over his brother, he doesn’t dare reply.

AZAZEL (CONT’D)

One thing I regret is that John never gave you a taste for the finer things in life. Maybe if you’d had a little luxury, you would have clutched tighter to that crown. But I digress.

(back to Dean)

All good things take time to mature. And you, Dean, you were a vintage I didn’t see coming. Of course, I do take credit for that as well. Who knew that burning Mary on that ceiling forty years ago would lead to such a delicious result?

Dean is the one to violently try to break free this time, but he gives out a CRY OF PAIN-- the handcuffs have zapped him. Azazel flicks the knife blade up so as not to impale him as he struggles.

AZAZEL (CONT’D)

Uh, uh, uh. I don’t want your vessel damaged. You’re going to be in pristine condition. After all, you would never gift a master craftsman a used canvas.

He meanders back towards Sam.

AZAZEL (CONT’D)

It’s a shame you wasted all that demon blood in you, Sam. But the good news is, there was a whole black market that kept the stuff on tap. Enough to-- well. Let’s just say whatever was left of my soul needed some filling in. And, of course, you know all about the revitalizing properties of demon blood.

He grins. With a little flourish, he indicates his new body. 

AZAZEL (CONT’D)

It’s certainly done wonders, I think you’ll agree.

MAMMON

Wait, so. These are the Winchesters? The Winchesters? I thought-- they didn’t seem that tough, for the brothers who felled Lucifer and Michael both. You sure it’s them, boss?

AZAZEL

I’m sure.

He grabs Sam’s HAIR, and YANKS his head up so he’s staring into his eyes.

AZAZEL (CONT’D)

I’d recognize that defiant Winchester fire anywhere.

MAMMON

(nervous)

Ah. Don’t they have. A pet angel? A bunch of other powerful allies? You sure we should keep them hostage?

Azazel considers this.

AZAZEL

(regretful)

As much as I wanted to draw this out... you’re right. Winchesters are a homing beacon for all sorts of unsavory company.

He looks up from Sam, at Mammon.

AZAZEL (CONT’D)

Take the brother upstairs, and tell Alastair he can have a little fun as a gift from me. But only an hour, no more. 

MAMMON

Got it. And this one?

AZAZEL

Leave him with me. 

Sam and Dean exchange a desperate look-- Sam mouths ‘Jack’, and Dean grimaces. He’s not going to drag Jack into this unless he has no other choice. Before he can reply, however, Mammon drags him away.

Azazel paces away from Sam, sitting back at his desk, leaning back.

AZAZEL (CONT’D)

So, Sam. Tell me everything.

42

INT. MOTEL ROOM – NIGHT

ON DEAN, being dragged by Mammon into a dingy hotel room. It seems that bed frames have been reappropriated as racks; one body hangs limp upon a wooden frame, its skin flayed off.

A reedy businessman in a suit turns around, away from the body. He has a bloody knife in hand-- and yet his suit is completely clean.

CLOSE ON DEAN, grimacing.

DEAN

I see you’ve redecorated.

ALASTAIR

Dean, Dean, Dean. I missed your... would we call it gallows humor?

DEAN

Well, sorry to say, pal, but I didn’t miss you at all.

MAMMON

How do you want him, boss?

ALASTAIR

Oh, the usual. String him up like the others.

Mammon moves around Dean to untie his cuffs-- Dean lashes out, and manages to TWIST AROUND TO KNEE MAMMON in the BALLS.

MAMMON

OOF!

ALASTAIR

(chuckling)

I see you haven’t lost your fiery spirit.

Dean tries to hit Mammon again, but he’s EXHAUSTED-- Mammon dodges easily, and Alastair swings his blade down and STABS THROUGH DEAN’S SHOULDER BLADE.

Dean makes a muffled groan of pain. He sinks down on to his knees.

MAMMON

Azazel said you only get an hour.

ALASTAIR

Oh, that’s a shame, isn’t it?

He leans down and uses his blade edge to delicately encourage Dean’s neck up. It’s an almost sensual act.

ON DEAN, looking back with disgust.

ALASTAIR (CONT’D)

Still. I’m sure I can make do.

43

INT. MOTEL LOBBY – NIGHT

Back where we left Sam and Azazel-- 

AZAZEL

I know I’ve missed out on a lot, but I gather the world’s gone topsy turvy since I was last here. Mammon told me the fabric of reality is stretched so thin right now that one can easily reach into the afterlife and simply pluck a soul out through a hole in the curtain.

SAM

What?

AZAZEL

Oh, yes. Rumor is, you Winchesters had something to do with the big upheaval in the sky. Well, on behalf of all those souls you freed? 

(sincerely, but dripping with evil promise)

Thank you.

SAM

We’re not gonna need the Colt to kill you this time.

AZAZEL

Promises, promises. Then again, I shouldn’t underestimate you. I mean I knew you were special, but boy! Tricking Lucifer himself!

(a pensive pause-- then)

Though... maybe we all overestimated the Lightbringer. I heard whispers the Prince got brought back human, same as the rest of us. Landed in Detroit, as it happens. Started spreading word on the street that he was back, and a couple of ex-demons took notice. Know what happened next?

(with relish)

They knifed him. Carved up his pretty new face. The name ‘Lucifer’ doesn’t mean what it used to, thanks to the Winchesters. So, I thought-- maybe little Sammy really did it. Outsmarted me, outsmarted more than one King of Hell, and finally crawled his way to the top. 

SAM

You’re wrong.

AZAZEL

No, I realized that much when I saw you blunder in here with your brother.

(indulgent)

Sam. You’ve gotta cut out your weaknesses. Did I teach you nothing?

Azazel stands up again, and paces towards Sam-- and now, he walks with controlled purpose. No trace of his previous laziness. But Sam isn’t intimidated at all.

SAM

Weakness? Dean’s the reason I’m here. How do you think I beat Lucifer? Hell, we beat God. You think I’m afraid of you? 

Azazel leans in close. Gives him a twisted, paternal smile.

AZAZEL

I think you’re afraid of yourself. Afraid to be who you really are.

SAM

I’m not afraid. And I learned a few tricks since I last saw you.

AZAZEL

Oh?

SAM

Yeah. _Adolebit impurum_!

Suddenly, a HUGE FLAME erupts out of Sam, blasting Azazel over into the corner. He yells out as he CRASHES into the desk, sending the chair and table toppling over, and splintering some of the wood.

AZAZEL

What--?!

Sam grins, flexing his hands-- he’s FREE OF THE CUFFS! One of his hands is holding a WITCH’S HEX BAG. Now he’s the one advancing on Azazel.

SAM

I don’t have demon blood anymore, but that doesn’t mean I’m powerless. It just means now I choose where my power comes from.

Azazel looks up at him-- something like FEAR in his eyes.

SAM (CONT’D)

Here’s a trick I learned from the Queen of Hell. 

He tosses the hex bag at Azazel.

SAM (CONT’D)

 _Defigere et depurgare_!

Azazel SCREAMS. His eyes ROLL UP IN HIS HEAD and start BLEEDING-- he SHUDDERS, and starts COUGHING UP BLOOD-- and then slumps over. DEAD.

Sam takes a second to relish the sight, and then blinks. Dean. He turns and runs out to the carpark.

44

EXT. MOTEL CAR PARK – NIGHT

Sam scans frantically over at the many, many rooms on the first, second and third floor of the motel.

SAM

Dean? Dean!? 

45

INT. MOTEL ROOM – NIGHT

ON THE WINDOW. Mammon is looking down at the car park through the broken glass, carefully hidden to the side of the window frame.

ALASTAIR

Deal with him.

MAMMON

Yes sir.

Mammon goes, quickly slipping out through the door of the motel room.

Back on Dean, bloodied and sporting a cut under his eye. Hands bound with cable ties to one of the bed frames upturned against the wall.

ALASTAIR

Dean, Dean, Dean. I was a little disappointed your brother was the one to kill me.

DEAN

(spitting out blood)

Yeah? There’s always this time.

ALASTAIR

Come on, Dean. Look at you! You’re pathetic. Is this what the angels crafted? Hell’s most intimidating torturer, made into a weak, scared little girl!

DEAN

Shut up.

ALASTAIR

Always such a disappointment to daddy. You know, I’m sorry for everything I put you through. Really, I am. Must have worn down your resolve. I mean, it took thirty years for you to give it up to me. How long did it take for you to give it up for Heaven? 

DEAN

You don’t know me.

ALASTAIR

Oh Dean, but I do. You’re a torturer. Hell’s finest artist. You can ignore it, but that’s who you are. You enjoy it. You’re engineered for it. A perfect machine. A soldier. The ultimate killer.

Dean looks straight at Alastair. But we see on his face that he remembers every word that Castiel told him in 15.18 DESPAIR.

DEAN

No. That’s not who I am...

And as Dean speaks, we get a montage of different scenes--

46

EXT. MOTEL CARPARK – NIGHT

Quick cuts of Sam fighting Mammon-- Mammon LEAPS on to Sam and starts STRANGLING HIM--

DEAN (V.O.) (CONT’D)

See, you only saw one side of me.

ON SAM, choking-- choking-- then he SWINGS around, and KNOCKS MAMMON INTO A WALL. 

DEAN (V.O.) (CONT’D)

What you taught me to be.

Mammon gets up, bleeding heavily from the head, as he and Sam circle each other.

DEAN (V.O.) (CONT’D)

The person I thought I had to be.

Sam raises his GUN, but Mammon LUNGES and KNOCKS IT OUT OF HIS HAND--

DEAN (V.O.) (CONT’D)

But that ain’t all there is.

Then SAM STABS UPWARDS with a KNIFE--

And Mammon’s eyes go wide in HORROR--

47

INT. MOTEL ROOM – NIGHT

CLOSE ON DEAN. A mirror of the shots and expressions from the Dean vs. Dean confrontation in 3.10 DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME.

DEAN (CONT’D)

And now? You’re human, just like me. And I’m not afraid of you. 

The montage begins again, as we cut to--

48

EXT. MEN OF LETTERS – NIGHT

AERIAL WIDE SHOT on the outside of the Bunker. The Waywards are saying goodbye to Castiel, Jack and Eileen.

On Claire, looking at Castiel. She considers him for a second, and then hugs him tightly before drawing back. 

Off Castiel. Deeply touched.

DEAN (V.O.) (CONT’D)

You know I raised a son, while you were gone.

Close on Jack, smiling as he says his farewells-- but also looking a little sad.

DEAN (V.O.) (CONT’D)

He’s God, now, by the way. 

On Eileen, Donna and Jody chatting.

On Patience, Alex and Kaia in the car, Alex silently yelling at the others (‘hurry up!’).

DEAN (V.O.) (CONT’D)

So, hate to break it to you, but you’re not top dog anymore.

On Amara, standing back from the group, looking a little lost. Pensive. Thinking about her brother.

DEAN (V.O.) (CONT’D)

We are.

On Castiel, looking at Jack. A soft smile on his face.

DEAN (V.O.) (CONT’D)

We’re in charge of this story.

And we cut back to--

49

INT. MOTEL ROOM – NIGHT

Dean, smiling. Finally free. 

DEAN (CONT’D)

And you’re not a part of it. You’re not important at all.

Then SAM BURSTS IN THROUGH THE ROOM DOOR, sending SPLINTERS flying everywhere.

SAM

Dean!!!

He points a gun straight at Alastair. Hesitates for a second, then shoots the other man twice through the thigh.

Alastair goes down with a muffled yell.

Meanwhile, Sam rushes over to Dean and cuts through the ties around his wrists. He gives Dean a look-- ‘are you okay?’. Dean gives him a brief nod of reassurance. Then Sam looks to Alastair with disgust.

SAM (CONT’D)

You want to do the honors?

But Dean shakes his head.

DEAN

No, Sam. I think I’m gonna call this one in.

SAM

But, Alastair--

DEAN

Yeah. He’s gonna go to prison.

Dean leans over Alastair with a vindictive smile.

DEAN (CONT’D)

And he’s going to rot there, until he dies of old age.

ALASTAIR

(desperate)

You should kill me now Dean. You think I won’t find a way to get out? To come and rip apart everything you love? Everyone you love?

DEAN

Maybe you will. But you do that, and I’ll be waiting. You’re a human now, Alastair. You’re not special. You’re just a sick man with a prison sentence.

Dean stares down at him. QUIETLY TRIUMPHANT. Meanwhile, Sam is holding his phone to his ear.

SAM

Sheriff Ken? Yeah, we’ve got the situation under control. We’re going to need your boys to take this one in.

He nods at Dean. 

SAM (CONT’D)

Yes, Sheriff. We got him. 

BLACKOUT.

END OF ACT FOUR

  


## 

  


ACT FIVE

50

EXT. ABANDONED MOTEL – NIGHT 

Sam is bandaging Dean’s shoulder beside the motel wall. Around the corner, several cop cars are parked haphazardly, their lights flashing bright alternating colours.

DEAN

I’m good, I’m good.

Sam finishes tying the bandage, and steps back. They both walk out of the motel grounds and across the street.

As they reach the IMPALA, Sam and Dean look back towards the motel. Red and blue police lights are reflecting off their faces and the Impala’s exterior.

SAM

You think there are going to be others out there like them?

DEAN

Maybe.

SAM

If more demons work out how to use demon blood like that--

DEAN

We’ll talk to Jack about it. Kid can fix it, right?

SAM

I thought he wasn’t going to interfere anymore.

DEAN

Then we deal with it. Whatever comes. ’Sides, how much demon blood can there be left out there in the world?

SAM

Yeah. You’re right.

They both get into the Impala. 

51

INT. IMPALA – VARIOUS ROADS – NIGHT 

Dean turns to Sam, with a smile. 

DEAN

So. Home?

SAM

Yeah. Home. 

He turns on the engine. Music is playing on the radio, but it’s quiet enough to be indistinct other than the general tune.

MUSIC CUE: “[GOING TO CALIFORNIA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDIz4talyQk)” by LED ZEPPELIN. Start mid-lyrics at a point where the timing works. Music runs under dialogue.

Several moments pass in silence. Dean flicks on his indicator, and then turns the Impala on to the main highway. 

A shot of Sam. Pensive.

Back on Dean, driving. A slight smile on his face.

SAM

I’m gonna marry Eileen.

Dean swerves violently and a car honks at him as it passes.

SAM (CONT’D)

DEAN!

DEAN

What? You uh, kinda dropped that one on me out of nowhere.

Sam laughs nervously. Still a little scared from Dean’s overreaction. 

SAM

Yeah, I just. I love her. And I wanna marry her. I haven’t got the ring yet, or anything. But losing her made me realize how much I-- you know, I got a second chance. A third chance, actually. I’m not gonna screw it up. 

DEAN

(joking to cover up his shock)

Well, you don’t need to ask for my permission.

He looks across at Sam. They both know that was the wrong thing to say. Dean looks forward again and amends--

DEAN (CONT’D)

I’m happy for you, Sam. Really.

SAM

You know things aren’t going to change, right? I mean, I’m not going to propose tomorrow, or anything.

DEAN

No, I get it. And things will change. But--

Dean looks at Sam again.

DEAN (CONT’D)

Maybe that’s alright. Maybe that’s good, even.

Off Sam, grinning like a madman in love. Happy his brother has given his blessing.

On Dean, smiling back. Then looking back to the road. A brief micro-expression of some sadness that Sam can’t see.

CUT TO:

52

EXT. MEN OF LETTERS – DRIVEWAY – NIGHT

The music track is a little more distinct now there’s no dialogue running over it.

WIDE SHOT on the Bunker exterior. Amara walking down the driveway, away from the Bunker. Castiel and Jack follow close behind her.

MUSIC (V.O.)

 _It seems that the wrath of the gods got a punch on the nose  
And it’s startin’ to flow,_

On Castiel, who pauses and looks back at the Bunker.

MUSIC (V.O.) (CONT’D)

 _I think I might be sinkin’._

Ahead, Amara and Jack stop. They exchange a look, and Jack nods. Amara DISSOLVES into a cloud of black smoke-- that is SUCKED INTO JACK. Jack LIGHTS UP with power. The bright light overwhelms the shot-- and then suddenly dims... to reveal Amara, Jack and Castiel have vanished.

MUSIC (V.O.) (CONT’D)

 _Throw me a line, if I reach it in time  
Meet you up there where the path runs straight and high_

AERIAL SHOT lingers on the Bunker driveway, now empty.

53

INT. IMPALA – HIGHWAY – NIGHT

Dean looks over at Sam, asleep.

CROSSFADE TO:

QUICK CUT MONTAGE of the Impala from previous episodes, very similar in content and style to 5.22 SWAN SONG but incorporating new footage from later seasons. Clips from episodes such as 11.04 BABY. Fifteen seasons of memories. Sam and Dean in the driver and passenger seat, laughing, crying, talking, arguing, singing.

MUSIC (V.O.) (CONT’D)

 _Find a queen without a king  
They say she plays guitar and cries and sings, la-la-la-la  
Ride a white mare in the footsteps of dawn  
Tryin’ to find a woman who’s never, never, never been born_

Clips of Sam and Dean from various episodes, on cases, joking around, crying together, looking over funeral pyres...

MUSIC (V.O.) (CONT’D)

 _Standin’ on a hill in the mountain of dreams  
Tellin’ myself it’s not as hard, hard, hard as it seems_

Sam and Dean in the Bunker in Season 15, Sam and Dean right back in the beginning of 1.01 PILOT. Sam and Dean clinking beers while leaning on the Impala. Sam and Dean hugging over and over again. Then, finally, the Sam and Dean clip from 5.22 SWAN SONG, sitting on the Impala and watching the stars.

BACK ON DEAN, in the present, looking forward to the road. Then he looks sideways...

ANGLE ON SAM, peacefully asleep in the passenger seat. Using his jacket as a pillow.

ON DEAN, looking at Sam. Allowing himself a totally open expression now that nobody can see him. Filled with love for his younger brother... but filled with melancholy, too. He knows that it’s the end of an era.

The headlights of a passing vehicle flicker over Dean’s face, illuminating it completely for a moment and he smiles. He tightens his grip on the wheel, looks forward and drives on.

54

EXT. IMPALA – HIGHWAY – NIGHT

WIDE SHOT of the highway. As the instrumental outro plays, we see the Impala driving into the distance.

END MUSIC CUE.

BLACKOUT.

TO BE CONTINUED...

  


## 


	5. 15.23 - Heaven and Earth

## 

  


SUPERNATURAL

EPISODE #1523

“HEAVEN AND EARTH”

  


TEASER

FADE IN:

1

EXT. CITY STREET – DAY – FLASHBACK – 2005

ESTABLISHING SHOTS. Stock footage of a city. Pedestrians, cars, people in shop windows handing out hot food to customers.

WIDE SHOT: A bustling cineplex. There’s people lining up for movie tickets. A college-aged woman in a scarf passes by the queue. The camera tracks her movement. She walks to a derelict bookstore, and enters. A shop bell rings as she does. 

WIDER out reveals the shop name on the window (still barely legible) BEN’S BOOKENDS. Nobody who passes by is paying it much attention.

2

INT. BOOKSTORE – DAY – FLASHBACK – 2005

MID SHOT of the woman, browsing the shelves and discount bins overflowing with books. Her face is cut off – who she is isn’t important.

MUSIC CUE: “[AMERICANA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqbiwT4qTls)” by JAY GRUSKA

BECKY (V.O.)

It started with a book.

CLOSE ON the woman’s hands, skimming over a shelf. Her fingers pass over dusty titles such as ‘GODS OF AMERICA’, ‘VAMPIRE KILLER’, ‘FORBIDDEN FILES’, ‘ON THE ROAD’. She reaches the end of the shelf, and finds a book tucked away at the corner. She digs it out.

BECKY (V.O.) (CONT’D)

I guess it always has to start somewhere.

The book is, of course, the first ‘SUPERNATURAL’ book by Carver Edlund.

MATCH DISSOLVE TO:

3

INT. CONVENTION – DAY – FLASHBACK – 2009 

Someone handing over a different book in the Supernatural series, ‘LAZARUS RISING’. 

Some footage used from 5.09 THE REAL GHOSTBUSTERS in addition to new footage. Supernatural fans milling around a hall. 

BECKY (V.O.) (CONT’D)

Things start out small, and then they grow. 

A group of male fans shaking hands and exchanging numbers.

BECKY (V.O.) (CONT’D)

Sometimes for the better--

A woman catching another woman’s eye across the hall--

And the second woman ducking her head down and smiling bashfully.

BECKY (V.O.) (CONT’D)

(a little embarrassed)

\--and sometimes for the worse.

We see BECKY ROSEN get into a fight with another fan. Both pushing each other over to get a good vantage point.

4

INT. SCHOOL THEATRE STAGE – NIGHT – FLASHBACK – 2014

Some footage used from 10.05 FAN FICTION in addition to new footage. Camera moves across side stage. We see the front of the stage with SIOBHAN (playing Dean) and MARIE (playing Sam) performing--

BECKY (V.O.) (CONT’D)

But as the story grew, we made it our own.

\--then move behind the curtain barrier. ON THE CAST AND CREW... waiting backstage. Looking on nervously.

BECKY (V.O.) (CONT’D)

And we made our own family, too.

Something successful happens on stage. Those backstage turn to each other with glee. High-fives, hugs, and silent celebrations.

5

INT. MARIE’S HOUSE – NIGHT – FLASHBACK – 2014

The AFTER PARTY at Marie’s house. The cast and crew are laughing together and passing around drinks.

BECKY (V.O.) (CONT’D)

Maybe it wasn’t the most conventional family--

CLOSE ON SIOBHAN and KRISTEN, leaning into each other. Kristen nuzzles into Siobhan’s shoulder.

BECKY (V.O.) (CONT’D)

Or the most conventional story--

ON MARIE, reading out after party speeches. Waving the prop robot head around as she talks.

WIDE SHOT of everyone in the room laughing.

MATCH DISSOLVE TO:

6

INT. MARIE’S HOUSE – DAY – PRESENT

WIDE SHOT of the same house. But now it’s empty... daytime. The party is a distant memory. We see an ADULT MARIE, moving through the living room. Looking for something.

BECKY (V.O.) (CONT’D)

But it was ours.

CLOSE ON MARIE, finding something in one of her drawers. She brings it out into the light-- it’s a FRAMED PHOTO of the Supernatural Musical cast.

BECKY (V.O.) (CONT’D)

And even though the memories will fade--

CLOSE ON MARIE, smiling down at the photo. Nostalgic.

BECKY (V.O.) (CONT’D)

That story will always be a part of us.

She puts it on the top of the chest of drawers, and we see her leave.

CLOSE ON the photo. Now in pride of place.

FADE TO WHITE.

END OF TEASER

(Note: Special title card – black text being typed on a white screen as per formatting of a script title.)

  


## 

  


ACT ONE

7

EXT. MEN OF LETTERS – DAWN

WIDE AERIAL SHOT as THE IMPALA pulls into the Men of Letters driveway. The first light of day is breaking through the cloud cover. Scattered sounds of distant birdsong. It’s quiet... PEACEFUL. SAM AND DEAN WINCHESTER step out of the Impala, and the doors slam shut on either side.

Both of them walk towards the Bunker’s entrance. Sam puts a hand up to cover his mouth as he yawns.

SAM

Ugh. I can’t wait to sleep.

DEAN

You slept most of the way home.

Sam throws him a FILTHY BITCHFACE.

SAM

I’m not twelve anymore, Dean. My body aches, and my sleep cycle is out of whack.

DEAN

(frenetic)

Yeah, well, throw a salad on it. You’ll be fine.

SAM

I mean we could have stopped at a motel overnight. You didn’t need to drive right through dawn.

Dean pauses at the entrance door. He throws a teasing, Dean-Winchester-Trademarked smile back at Sam.

DEAN

I would’ve thought you’d want to get back to Eileen.

SAM

(scandalized)

Of course I do! 

DEAN

Then quit complainin’.

Dean unlocks the Bunker’s front door, and swings it open. 

8

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – CROW’S NEST/LIBRARY – DAY

Dean races down the steps, hand skipping along the banister as he goes. He leaps in through the library archway to find--

EILEEN

Dean? You’re back!

DEAN

Hi, Eileen.

Dean grins at her-- stifling an even bigger smile. Clearly remembering what Sam told him in the car at the end of 15.22 IN THE BLOOD.

Eileen stands up from the table, walks over and HUGS HIM.

OFF DEAN-- a little taken aback by the open affection. Then he relaxes back into a softened smile.

Eileen steps away as she sees Sam come in behind Dean.

EILEEN

Sam! I was worried!

SAM

(embarrassed, stumbling to sign in ASL as he speaks)

Uh, yeah. I’m really sorry. But we got it done.

EILEEN

(signing ‘I missed you’ in ASL, followed by ‘you missed the party’)

I’m glad. But, I’m sorry you missed quite the party.

SAM

(signing ‘party?’ in ASL and making a face of confusion)

The... party?

EILEEN

(smiling, signing in ASL as she speaks)

Oh, yeah. It was lots of fun. But the girls had to leave last night. Donna said something about not being able to miss more days of work.

SAM

(signing ‘sorry’ in ASL repeatedly)

Huh. Yeah, I’m sorry we weren’t here. Really sorry.

DEAN

(jittery, cutting in on their moment)

Uh, hey, Eileen-- is, uh. Are Cas and Jack home?

There’s a beat, which tells Dean all he needs to know.

DEAN (CONT’D)

(laughing awkwardly)

What, they go on a fishing trip or somethin’?

Eileen looks at him. Pitying.

EILEEN

Dean...

Off Dean. Jaw tight. Really not wanting to hear what comes next.

9

EXT. HEAVEN – DAY

CLOSE ON CASTIEL, staring up at the sky. He turns around to face the gardens of Heaven, in a mirror to the shot from 6.20 THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING. Ahead of him are Amara and Jack, who are tending to a hand-sized, gaping void of swirling black. A HOLE IN THE FABRIC OF HEAVEN.

JACK

Another one?

AMARA

Reality is beginning to break down.

(turning back to Castiel)

Blue Eyes. Let’s start the process.

Off Castiel, looking uncertain.

AMARA (CONT’D)

What?

CASTIEL

You have both remade the afterlife once, and it has already had unforeseen consequences. I think perhaps... that this time, we should ask for some advice before we begin.

AMARA

Advice? I thought that was why you were here. Who else could give us advice on rebuilding Heaven?

CASTIEL

(with a gentle smile)

People who have already found a way to improve it.

10

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – CROW’S NEST/LIBRARY – DAY

Dean is sitting alone at the library table, nursing a GLASS OF WHISKEY. 

We see his jaw twitch as he thinks hard about something. He downs the finger of whiskey he has, and gets up. Reaches the cabinet, picks up the GLASS DECANTER, and pours himself another.

CROWLEY (O.C.)

Really, Dean. This early?

Dean drops the decanter-- it falls to the ground and SHATTERS. 

ANGLE ON CROWLEY. Looking pointedly between Dean and the wasted booze. Disapproving.

DEAN

What the hell? Crowley?!

He stares at Crowley. Without taking his eyes off him, he pats himself down for something to test this apparition with-- holy water, a silver knife, salt. A gun.

ROWENA

No need, dear. He’s with me.

PULL FOCUS from Crowley to ROWENA in the background, smiling.

DEAN

Rowena?

ROWENA

The very same. And might I say, it’s a bit disappointing that it’s been two weeks, and nobody thought to check in on us.

CROWLEY

(lightly)

It’s insulting, is what it is. All this time running errands for the Winchesters and they don’t even call once we’re topside.

DEAN

(calling out to the Bunker)

Sam!

They all turn to stare as Sam comes BOUNDING through the archway, alarmed by Dean’s call.

SAM

De-- Rowena??

He tackles Rowena into a brief hug, squinting his eyes shut. When he opens them, he sees Crowley behind Rowena and his face goes into shock.

SAM (CONT’D)

Um-- Crowley?

CROWLEY

(mockingly)

Moose! I see your powers of perception remain as stunningly acute as ever.

SAM 

You’re alive?

(to Rowena)

I thought you were-- I mean. We didn’t know if you were alive. Jack has no memory of who he brought back to life when he was God.

Rowena and Crowley exchange a glance.

CROWLEY

Oh, Jack brought us back, did he? I’ve heard all about your new pet project. Well, dare I say, since I bloody well died as a member of his defense squad, it’s the least I’m owed. And he gave me my original body back, in the bargain. Have to admit, I’m a fan.

DEAN

(pointedly looking)

Your original body?

ROWENA

Don’t worry. It was going to his head, so I cast a glamour on him. Now he looks and sounds just as miserable as you remember.

SAM

(amused)

What did his original body look like?

CROWLEY

Will you cease speaking as though I’m not present? And if I might say so myself, I am a very handsome man. Think... Damian Lewis. Toby Stephens.

The Winchesters give him a blank look.

CROWLEY (CONT’D)

(annoyed now)

Oh come now, Dean, I know how much television you watch.

SAM

(ignoring Crowley)

So, you’re human now?

ROWENA

Yes. Jack must have thought I was worth granting a second chance. Well, I was the Queen of Hell, so maybe that had something to do with it.

SAM

(grinning)

I do recall Jack promising you something of an advisory role.

ROWENA

(beaming back)

That he did.

DEAN

(to Crowley)

You’re human too? 

CROWLEY

Tragically, yes. You have no idea what a downgrade that is. Who wants to be a stupid, stinking, emotional pile of meat?

On Dean, formulating a reply-- but then--

EILEEN (O.C.)

Sam?

ON EILEEN, under the archway, looking uncertain. She signs something to Sam-- ‘is it safe?’.

Sam signs back ‘yes’.

SAM

Eileen, this is Rowena and Crowley. They’re, um... old friends.

Eileen blinks, remembering.

EILEEN

Rowena? Her spell was the one that brought me back...

SAM

(nervous)

That’s right. 

Rowena stares with narrowed eyes at Eileen, and then Sam.

ROWENA

My spell was the one that what, Samuel??

CROWLEY

Oh, Sam. Did you really use one of the most powerful resurrection spells ever made on someone other than Dean? That’s certainly character development.

(looking at Dean’s shattered decanter)

I’d say we should drink to that, but, well. Dean here never had very good grip.

Dean shoots Crowley a violent glare-- but Crowley is staring up at the ceiling. Nonchalant.

ROWENA

Surely you boys have more of the good stuff hidden around here somewhere. I can think of quite a few things we should toast to. Being alive, for one.

CROWLEY

Now, mother, the day is young, and we’ve only just dropped in on the Winchesters. Rude of us to not give warning. They didn’t have time to get their swords ready, and we have nothing to throw ourselves upon.

ROWENA

Oh, shut up for a minute, Fergus!

She waves her hand and--

Crowley’s mouth SLAMS shut, clearly the result of a spell from Rowena.

ROWENA (CONT’D)

I tell you what, he’s much more manageable as a human. Honestly, I wouldn’t have kept him around, but... well, I have the magic teleportation, and he has the secret locations filled with valuables that nobody else knows about. It’s mutually beneficial.

OFF CROWLEY, who does not seem to agree with the phrase ‘mutually beneficial’ in the slightest.

EILEEN 

You’re alive?

ROWENA

Oh, yes, in all the usual senses. 

(to Sam)

See, dove? You needn’t have worried so much about killing me.

SAM

(relieved)

Y-yeah. I’m glad you’re back.

ROWENA

Well, sadly I can’t stay for long this time-- Fergus and I have been busy cleaning up on your behalf.

DEAN

Cleaning up?

ROWENA

I don’t suppose you’ve heard that Lucifer was one of the ones turned human?

Dean shares a look with Sam. Calculating how much they share.

DEAN

We heard somethin’ like that.

ROWENA

(singsong)

Well, guess who stabbed the new Lucifer through the heart?

SAM

You?

Off Crowley, rolling his eyes. Then he makes hard, inquisitive eye contact with Dean. 

While the conversation with Sam, Rowena and Eileen continues, Dean stares at Crowley and tries to interpret his increasingly ludicrous coded expressions and gestures.

ROWENA

(flippant)

Me! Killing Lucifer is turning into a rite of passage around here, isn’t it? Perhaps next time around, Eileen should claim the pleasure.

Off Dean frowning, confused. Not understanding what Crowley is asking.

EILEEN (O.C)

Uh, I’m okay, thank you.

Off Crowley, flaring his nostrils, radiating ‘You simpleton. You absolute buffoon’ with every fiber of his being. He flaps his hands in the air--

ROWENA (O.C.)

Well, you must invite us for the wedding, at least. After all these years, it’s the least we deserve.

EXTREMELY awkward reactions-- Dean twists his head to look at Rowena again. Eileen blushes and looks away. Sam looks between Rowena and Eileen and tries to stammer his way out of it.

SAM

U-- um. Th-- yeah, I mean. That-- of course--

Dean, amused, cuts in and saves him.

DEAN

We’ll make sure to sit you both at the same table as Naomi.

ROWENA

(huffily)

Dean, you mustn’t incite a minor biblical war just to keep things interesting. Speaking of the Heavenly Choir, where has your cute angel gotten to?

A beat, in which it immediately becomes clear that neither of the Winchesters wants to answer that question. 

Then, to EVERYONE’S SURPRISE, going painstaking letter by letter, Crowley signs ‘TROUBLE IN PARADISE?’ (NOTE: Can use subtitles here if you want-- T-R-O-U etc.-- or omit them.)

EILEEN

Literally.

11

EXT. HEAVEN – HARVELLE’S ROADHOUSE – DAY

WIDE AERIAL of a BEAUTIFUL BLUE SKY. CRANE DOWN to reveal HARVELLE’S ROADHOUSE, as it originally stood-- but now placed within a GREEN FIELD full of bushes and flowers. 

Castiel walks towards the building. Amara and Jack wait a few yards behind him as he starts loudly addressing the Roadhouse.

CASTIEL

Ash! I know you’re in there. I want to talk. I’m a friend of Dean and Sam Winchester.

Jack and Amara stare at him curiously. Then--

The door of the Roadhouse SLAMS OPEN. ASH emerges, swaggering on the front porch. Sunglasses. Black tank top. Business in the front, party in the back. The whole nine yards.

ASH

D’you know how many people turn up claiming to be chill?

CASTIEL

Um. Many?

ASH

(deeply sincere in his bullshit)

Many. That’s right. So, you gotta tell me somethin’ ’bout the Winchesters only a real friend would know.

CASTIEL

Uh. What sort of thing?

ASH

The usual. Embarrassing kinks...

A beat. Everyone looks at Ash. He stares off into the distance, focused on a distant thought.

CASTIEL

Did you have a longer list?

ASH

Hm? Nah, that’s it.

Amara pushes past Castiel, impatient and wrathful.

AMARA

Dean Winchester’s fondest sexual memory is being made to wear--

Ash stumbles back, his sunglasses slipping off his face.

ASH

Whoa, whoa, lady! I was just kidding! Or you know, I don’t wanna be ass-reamed by Dean when he gets to Heaven.

(to Castiel)

I mean, you’re the angel, right? Cas? Bobby, Jo and Ellen always talk about you and your dumb JC Penny coat.

CASTIEL

Um. Yes. That’s me. Bobby’s here?

ASH

Oh, yeah. Come on in, cowboys.

He holds the door open, and Jack and Amara walk into the Roadhouse. As Amara passes, Ash adds an aside to her.

ASH (CONT’D)

(with a wink and raised eyebrow)

Cowgirl.

Off Amara, nose wrinkled in disgust.

12

INT. HEAVEN – HARVELLE’S ROADHOUSE – DAY

Inside, the Roadhouse is as we remember last seeing it from 5.16 DARK SIDE OF THE MOON.

On Amara, expression slowly turning from disdain into open curiosity.

AMARA

This place... it feels different. Separate to the rest of Heaven.

ASH

(slamming his hand on the bar)

Yeah, you like it? Built her myself. Little pocket dimension the angels can’t touch.

JACK

Oh, the angels won’t bother you anymore.

ASH

What?

JACK

Well, Amara and I-- we’re God, now. And the angels... those few still in Heaven were put to work in soul administration instead.

AMARA

Heaven needs a new code of law.

CASTIEL

That’s where you come in. Dean once told me about your-- I believe he called it a ‘hack’, is that correct?

Ash looks from Castiel, to Jack, to Amara. 

ASH

(still processing)

You’re telling me I just hit on God?

JACK

Half of God.

ASH

Well, there’s time to fix that--

Castiel briskly steps forward, putting himself between Jack and Ash. Scowling.

CASTIEL

(pointedly)

Heaven is falling to pieces, so we need to act quickly. But I thought it was time we asked the humans what they wanted. For a change.

Ash regards him with a surprisingly analytical gaze. 

ASH

Huh. Guess you really are one of the good guys. 

He goes behind the counter, and--

CLOSE ON a RED BUZZER, that Ash WHACKS.

Immediately, LOUD SIRENS go off and the LIGHTS START FLASHING RED. Castiel and Jack look up in alarm. Amara simply looks bored.

Suddenly, bursting through the BACK DOOR--

HERO SHOT of ELLEN HARVELLE, front and center, backed by JO HARVELLE and BOBBY SINGER. All wielding shotguns, and pointing them straight at Jack, Amara and Castiel.

BLACKOUT.

END OF ACT ONE

  


## 

  


ACT TWO

13

INT. HEAVEN – HARVELLE’S ROADHOUSE – DAY

Bobby, Jo and Ellen lower their guns.

BOBBY

Son of a bitch. Cas?

Slow, dawning smiles on Ellen and Jo’s faces, as they walk into the room.

On Castiel, looking a little embarrassed.

CASTIEL

Uh, yes. It’s me. 

JO

(delighted)

Damn. You got old! 

ELLEN

That’s a compliment ’round these parts. Come here, angel.

Ellen BRINGS CASTIEL IN FOR A HUG, much to his surprise. She steps back and admires him.

ELLEN (CONT’D)

To what do we owe this visit, huh? I’m guessing you’re not just checkin’ in for old times’ sake. 

CASTIEL

No. Ellen, Jo, Bobby. This is Amara and Jack. Amara is uh-- well, it’s complicated.

He looks briefly at Amara, and then to Jack.

CASTIEL (CONT’D)

And Jack-- Jack is--

JACK

I’m God. Oh, well Amara is God too. We’re both God, when we’re together. And Castiel, Dean and Sam are my fathers.

A beat, as the Roadhouse Gang ABSORB THIS STATEMENT. Jo’s eyes go wide. Ellen looks from Castiel to Jack, then back to Castiel. Bobby blinks.

BOBBY

Uh, well. I got no right askin’ how that happened, and frankly I don’t wanna know, but... welcome to the family, I guess?

Jack beams.

AMARA

(to Bobby)

I see. You are the man who gave Dean Winchester parental love in place of John Winchester, correct?

Off Bobby, eyebrows in his hairline.

Jo hides a laugh behind a hasty cough.

BOBBY

(gruff)

That’d be me, I s’pose. But I’m not sure what business God-- or Gods, or whatever y’are-- have here.

JACK

We want to rebuild Heaven. Into somewhere Sam and Dean-- and the people they love-- can truly be at peace.

ELLEN

Not just a CD stuck skipping on the same damn memory?

JACK

Exactly. A real, free Heaven. Like what you’ve built here. 

AMARA

A republic.

ASH

So, what do you cool cats need from us, then? Advice? An eBay wish list?

Jack considers this. Then--

JACK

Amara and I will reweave Heaven’s fabric into the same pattern that you created here. I can feel the love you have imbued this bar with. All we need to do is project it outwards.

ASH

You’re using my indie engine as a base for your Triple-A? Huh. How long will that take?

AMARA

We will soon find out.

She DISSOLVES into A SPIRAL OF BLACK SMOKE that seeps into JACK. Jack’s eyes shine with GRACE-LIGHT.

CASTIEL

Do you need my assistance?

JACK

Yes. I want you to talk to everyone here. Ask them what they want, what they need. I will be listening.

ELLEN

Half an eternity in this joint and humanity finally gets a customer suggestion box. Go figure.

JO

Mom, I made a suggestion box once as a kid, and you used to read out every suggestion before burning it with a lighter.

ELLEN

(defensive)

They were bad suggestions! 

A RUSTLING NOISE. When the Roadhouse Gang turns towards it, they see Jack has VANISHED.

BOBBY

Yer scared the kid off with yer yappin’.

ELLEN

(affectionate)

Oh, can it, Singer.

(to Castiel)

Looks like it’s just you and us, angel. So-- tell me. You still able to drink us under the table now we’re dead?

Off Castiel, looking a little scared.

CASTIEL

Actually, I’m not an angel anymore.

Off Jo and Ellen, grinning widely.

ELLEN

Well now. It might just be a fair fight.

14

INT. LEBANON HARDWARE STORE – DAY

MUSIC CUE: “[CAN’T FIGHT THIS FEELING](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4Bo4ZeYrGk)” by REO SPEEDWAGON. (Note: Music is background noise playing over tinny shop speakers.)

Camera pans through aisles in a hardware store, and lands on Dean browsing through a shelf carrying different types of light globes. Eileen stands with him, while Sam stands behind them both pushing a large trolley.

DEAN

Crap. Men of Letters couldn’t give us more interchangeable globes, huh?

SAM

The Bunker’s nearly a century old. We were bound to run into problems sooner or later.

DEAN

Yeah, well, all the more reason for an update.

He regards the shelf critically, and then sweeps several globes into the trolley without much thought.

SAM

Ugh, Dean!

DEAN

What? We’ll work it out. ’Sides, what’s wrong with a little mix-and-match? Bit of diversity gives the place more character.

EILEEN

(reassuring, also signing in ASL)

It’ll be fine, Sam.

Sam makes a bitch face, and signs ‘He’s an idiot’. Unfortunately, Dean catches the movement.

DEAN

(signing ‘I see you!’)

Hey, I saw that!

ON EILEEN, looking at a shopping list while Sam and Dean bicker.

SAM

Yeah? Well... good!

EILEEN

Can you two behave until checkout, at least?

DEAN

(sheepish)

I mean. He started it.

Eileen rolls her eyes, and gestures for Sam and his trolley to follow her.

EILEEN

Ugh. Boys.

They roll the trolley along a little further, and pass by an ELDERLY LEBANON WOMAN, who waves. 

JANICE 

Oh, my word. Dean Campbell! 

DEAN

(broad smile)

Mrs. B. How are the kids?

Sam and Eileen exchange an eyebrows-raised look of disbelief. Dean’s friendly suburbs persona out in full.

JANICE

Oh, same as always. Skipping school, making trouble. I wish they were as well behaved as your Jack.

DEAN

Well, you tell those kids if they’re not careful they’ll end up like me-- over forty, and can’t do my own taxes.

JANICE

Oh, hush, Dean. I’m sure you’re perfectly capable.

(to the others)

And you must be Sam and Eileen! I’ve heard all about you. I’ll leave you to your shopping, but Dean-- the reason I’m here, actually, is my plumbing’s completely on the fritz. I was going to ask the employees here if they knew a good plumber, but... I don’t suppose you’d mind coming around tomorrow to take a look yourself?

DEAN

’Course, Mrs. B.

JANICE

Please, Dean. I’ve told you a million times to call me Janice. Come around tomorrow then, and I’ll put out some tea and cookies. 

(to Sam and Eileen)

Lovely to meet you both.

She moves away, humming to herself. 

Sam stares at Dean.

SAM

(gleeful)

Um, Dean? When were you gonna tell me you got yourself a girlfriend in town?

DEAN

Aw, shuddup, Sam. She’s a nice old lady all alone in a big house. 

SAM

Wow. Didn’t take you for a gold-digger.

DEAN

Hey, nothing wrong with making friends! Just because I always end up doing the grocery runs to Lebanon--

SAM

You insist on doing the grocery runs because you claim we don’t buy the right type of ingredients!

Dean looks to Eileen for help, but she just shrugs.

MUSIC CUE: “[ALL OUT OF LOVE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yf1S7dSMWPU)” by AIR SUPPLY. (Note: Music is background shop noise, extremely faint)

EILEEN

Sam’s right. You are really picky.

DEAN

(under his breath)

Ugh. Couples.

A beat of silence, where Dean picks up on the song being played over the speakers.

DEAN (CONT’D)

Oh, come on. What is it, power ballad day?

SAM

(referring to 7.06 SLASH FICTION)

C’mon, man. I’ve seen you lip sync to this song.

DEAN

(not fooling anyone)

Don’t know what you’re talking about.

Sam and Eileen share an amused look, and then Sam starts lip syncing himself. Overdramatically singing to Eileen, who laughs.

Off Dean, rolling his eyes, but grinning.

CUT TO:

15

INT. HEAVEN – HARVELLE’S ROADHOUSE – DAY

CLOSE ON Castiel’s SHOT GLASS being refilled. Slowly tilt up to reveal PAMELA BARNES pouring the drink.

MID SHOT revealing Castiel, Ellen and Bobby sitting at a table. All drinking from shot glasses. The others are holding alcoholic beverages and standing around them. Looking on the drinking contest with interest. At some point it seems that Pamela and RUFUS TURNER have joined the party.

PAMELA

You know Ash, when you called me in for an emergency meeting, I had no idea the emergency was serving drinks to an ex-angel.

ASH

It is an emergency!

RUFUS

Damn, Pamela. Show a little respect.

PAMELA

To the guy that burned my eyes out of my skull?

RUFUS

No, to the sacred cultural practice of drinking parties.

CASTIEL

(tipsy, emotional drunk)

I’m so, so, so sorry Pamela.

PAMELA

I know, angel, I heard you the first twenty times.

ASH

Now Cas, when I say we need dispensaries on every corner of Heaven’s Metropolis--

BOBBY

(interrupting)

Jesus, Mary and Joseph. No more o’ this Heavenly shopping list tripe. Cas, tell us about Sam and Dean.

ELLEN

(perking up)

Yeah, they got-- Girlfriends? Wives?

JO

(it’s complicated)

Mom.

ELLEN

Oh, Joanna Beth. It’s been, what? Ten years? They’re my age by now.

(squinting at Castiel)

I didn’t even know angels could age.

CASTIEL

Sometimes I was human. And when I wasn’t, it was a-- a choice.

RUFUS

Preserving fragile egos, I’ll bet. Which one is going bald?

PAMELA

I don’t want to know how old Sam and Dean look, do I?

(to the others)

One benefit of dying young, huh?

The others all raise their glasses/bottles, and drink to that notion. Pamela pours Bobby and Ellen another drink from one of the bottles on the table, which Bobby downs immediately.

BOBBY

So? What did those idjits get up to, apart from the God-son? They still huntin’?

Castiel is saved from answering, however, by the arrival of--

CHARLIE (O.C.)

Oh my god. Oh my god. Cas!!

CHARLIE BRADBURY (ORIGINAL) and KEVIN TRAN (ORIGINAL) who are walking in through the back door that Ellen, Jo and Bobby previously entered through. 

Castiel stands out of learned politeness, but he’s uneasy on his feet and looking a little confused.

CASTIEL

Charlie. Kevin. What are you doing here?

Charlie SWEEPS IN and HUGS CASTIEL TIGHTLY.

Castiel smiles, still a little bemused but very touched.

CHARLIE

Whaddya mean what are we doing here? What are you doing here?!

KEVIN

Sam and Dean aren’t dead, are they?

ASH

Kevin, please, lighten up. You’re here because we’re throwing a little party.

KEVIN

(flat)

A party.

CHARLIE

You abused the Bat-Signal for a party???

A beat, as she looks incredulously at Ash. Then she turns to Castiel, and her expression changes completely.

CHARLIE (CONT’D)

(beaming)

Awesome.

Kevin stares at her, incensed that he’s no longer being backed up. Charlie shrugs.

CHARLIE (CONT’D)

What? Would you rather this or more apocalypse drama?

KEVIN

It’s about the principle--

CASTIEL

(cutting in, still drunk)

But how do you all know each other?

Charlie looks back to Ash, hovering at the bar. 

ASH

Charlie here hacked her own way out of her Heaven. Saved her mom, and then started busting in on other people. That’s how I discovered her. A bug in the system that I didn’t plant.

CHARLIE

Ash recruited me to be part of his operation. And once I’d plugged a little face recognition code into the Heaven-wide CCTV feed he’d hacked into... well, we could find anyone. It was a simple matter to snipe Kevin the second he arrived about-- oh, what was it? A couple of weeks ago?

KEVIN

(to Castiel)

Did you know Ash speaks Enochian? The way he’s broken through the encryptions here-- it’s incredible. You wouldn’t happen to have time to look through some code we’ve been translating--

BOBBY

(combative) 

He doesn’t have time, boy, he’s in the middle of serious business! Now shut yer trap and let him speak!

With that, the ROADHOUSE GANG look at Castiel expectantly. He looks back, sighs, defeated, and resumes his place at the table. 

CASTIEL

Very well. What questions do you have for me?

Charlie grins and dives down to lean over at the empty end of the table between Castiel and Bobby, chin in her hands. She looks eagerly up at Castiel.

CHARLIE

Ooh, are we getting him drunk and grilling him about the Winchesters? 

JO

That’s exactly what we’re doing.

PAMELA

Bang on.

CHARLIE

Bitchin’. 

CASTIEL

(annoyed and drunk)

I’m not drunk. I don’t get drunk.

BOBBY

Seem pretty drunk to me, princess.

RUFUS

This stuff’ll get yeh. First priority we had once we were free of our personal cages was making moonshine that tastes real and sticks on your soul.

CASTIEL

(suspiciously, to Bobby and Ellen)

Then how come you’re both unaffected?

PAMELA

Oh, I’ve been filling their glasses with water for a while now.

CASTIEL

(a too-loud drunk)

WHAT.

PAMELA

What? You’re alive, we’re dead. We get every handicap in the game, and you can’t complain because we’re off the table while you’re still playing.

CASTIEL

I never understood the point of the game.

PAMELA

Well, Halo-Man, if you get drunk enough, I promise you’ll see the light. Metaphorically, of course.

ELLEN

Now spill. What’s the gossip?

CASTIEL

(flatly)

Well, we killed God. Does that count?

Everyone groans in unison.

KEVIN

Wait, they killed God--?

CASTIEL

To answer your question, Dean and Sam are doing just fine.

Castiel continues speaking as we view a few scenes back on Earth--

16

EXT. LEBANON MAIN STREET – DAY

On Eileen and Sam. Giggling and playfully shoving at each other as they put hardware supplies in the car.

CASTIEL (V.O.)

Sam-- Sam’s started thinking about the next generation.

On Dean, looking over the Impala roof at them. Fond. Smiling softly.

CASTIEL (V.O.) (CONT’D)

I suppose he realized the Winchesters won’t be around to save the world forever. 

17

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – CROW’S NEST – DAY

We get a JUMP CUT MONTAGE from a WIDE HIGH ANGLE showing the passage of time as Dean, Sam and Eileen renovate the Bunker war room. Several shots in quick succession showing Sam and Eileen moving tables and furniture around. Dean attempting to move something-- wincing. He rubs his injured shoulder, and switches to using his good arm instead. Sam replacing old operation dials with modern interfaces. Eileen painting over brick walls with lighter colors.

CASTIEL (V.O.) (CONT’D)

He wants to set up a better system for the hunters.

ROWENA appears and starts CASTING MAGIC. In the next jump cuts, we see the Bunker is transformed-- the huge map-screen along the higher walls is replaced with a magical window.

Sam looks up at a window, and speaks an incantation we can’t hear. As he does, the picture of a dark rainforest changes into a bright sky that fills the room with sunlight. 

CASTIEL (V.O.) (CONT’D)

Right now, the wider world-- civilians-- they’re waking up to the reality of the supernatural. They’ll need all the help they can get reckoning with that.

MID SHOT of Sam looking at Rowena. Rowena shrugs, like ‘what?’. Then-- 

Dean enters. Looks around at the NEW WAR ROOM. Takes a minute to process.

CASTIEL (V.O.) (CONT’D)

So, he and-- Eileen-- they’re going to try and help people. Band the hunters together as best they can, and learn from the mistakes of the British Men of Letters.

Dean shakes his head, chuckling. He hangs an arm over Sam’s shoulder and admires their work.

18

INT. HEAVEN – HARVELLE’S ROADHOUSE – DAY

ON BOBBY, scowling at Castiel.

BOBBY

British Men of what-now?

CASTIEL

It’s a long story.

BOBBY

(darkly)

I’ll bet.

ELLEN

So, Sam’s with this, uh, Eileen?

CASTIEL 

If by ‘with’, you mean romantically and sexually intimate--

Everyone groaning and laughing--

CASTIEL (CONT’D)

\--then yes.

CHARLIE

And Dean?

Castiel frowns. Alcohol-muddled mind struggling to answer.

CASTIEL

Dean is... doing fine.

19

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – DEAN’S ROOM – CONTINUOUS

Dean opens the door to his room-- it’s dark inside. As he crosses the room, we see his room has also been fitted out with magic windows that show a night sky.

CASTIEL (V.O.) (CONT’D)

He’s doing what he always has.

Dean flicks on a side light, and makes his way to his bed, stripping off his outer layers of clothing as he goes and tossing them on to the floor.

CASTIEL (V.O.) (CONT’D)

Saving people, hunting things, as he says.

CLOSE ON DEAN, a complicated look on his face. Not a happy expression at all.

20

INT. HEAVEN – HARVELLE’S ROADHOUSE – DAY

CHARLIE

Huh. No progress on that front, then.

JO

(curious)

What front?

CHARLIE

(not very good at lying) 

Oh, nothing. But, uh.

(to Castiel)

You tell Dean if he doesn’t get his head out from his ass, I’m gonna come down there and kick that ass back to Moondoor myself, alright? 

Jo is bewildered. Then she looks at Castiel again. Understanding dawns.

JO

(a slow, astounded smile breaking on her face)

Holy shi--

But she’s interrupted by the sudden reappearance of JACK beside the bar. His eyes no longer glowing.

JACK

Cas.

(a beat, and a frown)

You’re drunk.

CASTIEL

(bitchy drunk)

Jack, I wish you wouldn’t use the power acquired from thousands of dead angels and demons to embarrass me in front of my friends.

Off Ellen and Jo, breaking into fits of laughter.

On Kevin, leaning over the bar towards Ash.

KEVIN

You know what, dude? I take it back. Best party ever. Misuse the carefully crafted emergency warning system all you like. 

ASH

(sincerely)

Thanks, man, I will.

Back to Jack, approaching the table full of shots.

JO

You want some?

CASTIEL

(squinting at her, annoyed) 

No. He’s three.

BOBBY

You idjits made a three-year-old God???

JACK

Well Amara is older than Creation itself, so I think it evens out.

CHARLIE

You’re God? The God? 

JACK

I am now.

CHARLIE 

So, we talking, like, Haruhi Suzumiya or Morgan Freeman?

(off Jack’s confused look)

Never mind.

Ash walks over to the table from the bar, following Jack. He tilts his beer bottle towards Jack as he speaks.

ASH

You’ve finished the big patch, then?

JACK

Mostly, yes. I took your suggestions to heart. Although I wasn’t sure how to incorporate the dispensaries.

ELLEN

Word of advice, kid-- don’t listen to a word Ash says. 

ASH

Hey, the right to recreational drug use is an important political issue! 

JACK

Oh. Well, you can build your own dispensary, now. You can build anything. 

KEVIN

What, like Minecraft?

JACK

No, it’s not quite as simple. The physics of Heaven have changed. For most people, it will work-- well, it will work like Earth. But nobody will get sick, or die. And everyone has all the time they need, doing whatever they want. With whoever they want.

ASH

Huh. And I suppose you’ll fix any errors that pop up? Magic away any viruses, so to speak?

JACK

Not me.

Jack takes out a small USB from his pocket and hands it to Ash. Ash stares at it, confused.

ASH

What is this meant to be?

JACK

It should work with your computer to uh-- override the system, if need be. But it will only work if everyone here agrees on using it.

JO

Wow. Sure, that’s one way to make sure nothing ever changes.

Ellen whacks her arm.

BOBBY

So lemme get this straight-- you’re giving us the controls to this place? Us??

JACK

(simply)

Yes. 

CHARLIE

(reeling)

Holy mother of Mothra. We just got Heaven’s admin permissions. 

CASTIEL

And Amara?

JACK 

The Darkness is part of everything, now. And Heaven will be imperfect. But-- I think that’s alright.

CASTIEL

(now seemingly sober)

I admit, I didn’t see Amara sacrificing herself for the good of humanity. 

JACK

She sacrificed her powers, but... as it turns out, even drained of The Darkness, she still had her own soul. Enough to make her a human. And I still have little grace left, which will come in handy should we ever face a serious threat.

(serious)

But there isn’t a God, anymore. And hopefully, there never will be again.

Bobby stands, and walks towards Jack. For a moment, Jack looks apprehensive. Bobby looks like he’s going to tell Jack off. Then--

Bobby claps him on the shoulder, and nods in approval.

BOBBY

Yer did good, son.

ELLEN

(grinning)

Now come on, join the party.

JACK

Well, we should-- I mean, Sam and Dean--

RUFUS

Oh, please. Those two idiots can survive just fine on their own for a damn minute. Now sit down, and let’s see how long it takes an ex-God to get drunk.

Jack looks at Cas, pleadingly. Castiel shrugs.

CASTIEL

(relenting)

Your fake license does put you at nearly twenty-one. 

Off Jo, Pamela and Ellen, looking at each other in glee. 

PAMELA

(to Castiel)

So, you’re the cool dad, huh? 

JACK

(perking up at this reference that understands)

Oh, yes. Claire says Cas is the cool dad, and Dean is the hard-ass. But also, that Dean’s actually a big softie who just pretends to be mean for--

(with finger quotations)

‘street cred’.

The room dissolves into chaos as most react to this with laughter and some with exclamations of various kinds.

KEVIN

Wait, who’s Claire??

BOBBY

Christ. Pamela, we’re going to need a whole lot more booze.

PAMELA

(smiling)

Coming right up.

WIDE SHOT of the ROADHOUSE filled with everyone chatting to each other and laughing...

CUT TO:

21

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – LAUNDRY – DAY

Dean has a basket of dirty clothes in front of him, and is currently transferring dirty clothes in a washing machine to a dryer mounted on a wall above it.

Sam walks into the room with his own load--

SAM

Huh. 

DEAN

Chuck them in, I’ll sort it out.

SAM

(surprised by this generosity)

Seriously? Thanks. I mean, I was gonna offer. Moving things can’t be comfortable with your shoulder.

He places his basket next to Dean’s, and hops up on top of one of the machines that Dean isn’t using.

DEAN

Nah, it’s fine. Wound’s basically healed now.

SAM

So--

DEAN

I was--

They break off, awkward. Then both smile at each other.

DEAN (CONT’D)

You first.

SAM

Eileen and I were going to invite some hunters here for a while. Set up a kind of training camp. But only if that’s-- I mean, this is your home too.

DEAN

Well, I ain’t cooking for ’em.

SAM

No, of course not.

DEAN

S’fine, Sam. I’ll get out of your hair. Find a case, or somethin’. 

SAM

Actually, I was thinking you could help me train them?

(with a pleading look)

I mean, you’re really awesome at knowing the best way to kill stuff quickly, and I’ll have my hands full teaching them other things--

Dean is fully aware that this is mostly just a way to get him involved... but he doesn’t mind. 

DEAN

Sure. Yeah, I can do that.

SAM

So, what was your thing?

A beat, as Dean sorts more laundry out of one of the washing machines and into the dryer above it.

DEAN

Doesn’t matter.

SAM

Is it about Cas?

Dean bangs his head on the door of the dryer, and hastily pulls back, wincing. 

DEAN

Um. Yeah, yeah, it’s about Cas.

SAM

I, I sort of... I know already, if that makes it easier.

Dean lowers the shirt in his hand back into the basket. Slowly, he turns to look at Sam... almost expressionless. Uncharacteristically still. Hiding any possible reaction.

SAM (CONT’D)

Eileen told me some, uh, stuff she heard from Cas, and-- well, I had sort of worked out other things before. I mean, I have to live with you both.

DEAN

(gruff)

Yeah, well. It was news to me. 

SAM

So, did you tell him?

DEAN

(still impenetrable)

What?

SAM

(exasperated)

Dean, are you serious?

Like a cork has just been released, all of the coiled emotion and energy in Dean suddenly springs loose.

DEAN

What!? I didn’t know, what-- and-- Sam, when have I ever had a relationship go right? I can’t-- it never works out, and Cas and I fight all the time already, and I-- I--

He stills. Hangs his head, fists tight and body tense as he confesses his real fear:

DEAN (CONT’D)

I’d lose him. He’d leave me for bein’ a dick, and I can’t--

SAM

Dean.

DEAN

I don’t even know if-- I don’t know how to--

He can’t say the words. But he doesn’t have to; Sam understands him perfectly.

SAM

Hey. You’ll work it out. But you’ve gotta have faith in yourself. You have faith in Cas, right?

Dean swallows, and nods minutely.

SAM (CONT’D)

And Cas has faith in you. 

DEAN

(with a fond, half-hysterical chuckle)

Yeah. I guess-- he does.

At that moment, a BUZZING SOUND distracts them both. Dean reaches into his pocket and draws out his phone. He looks at the screen for about five seconds, and then breaks into a wide, genuine grin.

SAM

What?

Dean shakes his head and passes over his phone, still grinning.

DEAN

I don’t believe it.

CLOSE ON Dean’s phone, with a text message and attachment file. The displayed text message is from Jack. It reads: “Jack and I rejigged this phone so we could text this from Heaven. P.S. everyone says hi and that they ‘don’t want to see you any time soon’. - Ash”

Sam’s finger opens the attachment, but before we can see it--

On Sam, laughing with amazement.

22

INT. HEAVEN – HARVELLE’S ROADHOUSE – DAY 

CLOSE ON BOBBY SINGER, looking surly and irritated. We slowly zoom out to reveal more shoulders and arms around him--

BOBBY

Ever’body get in right now, ’cos I ain’t doin’ this a second time and I’m already tired of standin’ here. Knees are gonna give. 

RUFUS

Your knees are just fine.

BOBBY

Yeah? Well maybe this new Imperfect Heaven is giving me phantom pains, because I sure as hell feel like they’re gonna give.

ELLEN

Everyone in? Okay, now smile and pretend you’re having fun.

On Ash, who’s fiddling with an old camera phone. He gets it propped up against two beer bottles. Slowly backs away.

ASH

Alright, here we go--

23

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – LAUNDRY – DAY

Sam looks up at Dean. Tears welling in his eyes.

Dean grins at him-- also slightly teary-eyed. He nods, and then huffs a laugh. Speechless.

CLOSE ON DEAN’S PHONE, still in Sam’s hand. The group photo of the Roadhouse Gang filling his screen.

BLACKOUT.

END OF ACT TWO

  


## 

  


ACT THREE

24

EXT. HEAVEN’S PARK – DAY

Castiel and Jack are sitting on a park bench, feeding ducks. 

JACK

We should head back soon.

CASTIEL

I know. But don’t think I will return to Heaven for a long time, so... I wanted to enjoy it, just for a moment.

JACK

You can come back if you want. The grace I kept-- it’s yours. You should have it back.

CASTIEL

You’re offering to make me an angel again?

JACK

Yes.

Castiel thinks on this. He stares out at the lake, and throws bread to the ducks. 

CASTIEL

I think I want to be human for a while longer.

JACK

Oh. I would have thought-- you liked being a seraph.

CASTIEL

I do. But being human, it lets me feel things differently. Even just little things, like coffee, or peanut butter. And if giving up my grace makes you the slightest bit less powerful, less invulnerable--

Castiel shakes his head.

CASTIEL (CONT’D)

I want you to have it. Honestly, it was failing me recently. As though it was damaged. If you can use it without trouble, then perhaps that is a sign you’re more worthy of whatever scraps of power remain.

JACK

There’s nobody more worthy of being an angel than you, Cas. As for your grace... Maybe you were falling, or maybe Chuck had something to do with it. Maybe Heaven’s collapse was affecting all of the angels that remained. But...

He breaks off, smiling, and throws a duck some bread crumbs from his own portion.

JACK (CONT’D)

When I gave up the grace, I didn’t intend on keeping any. Even whatever remained of my grace-- the other Michael’s grace, whatever it was-- seeped into the fabric of Heaven. But your grace... Cas, your grace was so strong that it stuck to me and refused to let go. I could feel its love, you know. I... I think you gave it its own free will.

Castiel laughs. The most open, happy, and human laugh we’ve ever seen on him.

CASTIEL

If that’s true, then... I don’t think I couldn’t take it back from you if I tried.

Jack grins. Mostly just delighted by Castiel’s obvious happiness.

CUT TO:

25

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – THE DEAN CAVE – DAY

We open on Sam and Eileen on the couch in the Dean Cave, watching something on TV. Eileen is fast asleep and leaning on Sam’s shoulder. Sam is looking at Eileen adoringly... totally missing whatever’s on the screen.

On Dean, sitting in one of the adjacent armchairs. Watching them with a fond smile.

DEAN

(quiet)

Hey, Sam.

Sam looks up and across to Dean.

DEAN (CONT’D)

Want me to get you a blanket?

SAM

Yeah. Yeah, thank you.

Dean stands up and rummages in the cabinets behind him before drawing out a BIG, FLUFFY QUILT. He drops it gently over Eileen and Sam from behind the couch, and then presses a hand on to Sam’s shoulder briefly.

DEAN

I’m proud of you, Sam. The thing you’re doing with this Hunters Association it’s-- I think it’s going to make a real difference.

Sam looks up at Dean. As much as little brother as a son being praised by a parent.

Dean lets go, and starts walking back to his chair.

SAM

That means-- a lot, actually. And, Dean, I... I wanted to thank you for helping out. And just-- being nice.

Dean raises a teasing eyebrow at Sam as he sits down in his chair.

DEAN

And what is that supposed to mean? I’m always nice.

Sam rolls his eyes, both of them easing back to the comfort zone of brotherly teasing. 

SAM

Yeah, yeah. You know what I mean. 

Sam’s phone starts buzzing with a text, as does Dean’s. The two share a confused look.

Dean digs his phone out from his pocket.

DEAN

It’s from Jack-- he. Holy crap.

Sam sits up, alert, and disrupts Eileen.

SAM

What?

EILEEN

Huh?

Dean looks up, wide-eyed and murderous.

DEAN

He says, “be there in five”. Gone for weeks, and now it’s all, “be there in five”?!

SAM

Time does move differently in--

DEAN 

(not hearing him)

I’m gonna kill him. I’m gonna kill both of them. 

He bolts from his chair, and is out of the room in a flash.

Eileen looks up at Sam, who’s half-amused and half-exasperated by his brother.

EILEEN

(also signing in ASL)

Should we follow him?

SAM

Let’s uh, give him a minute. I’d rather avoid the nuclear fallout zone.

EILEEN

(also signing in ASL)

Smart.

Sam grins and kisses Eileen on the head.

26

EXT. MEN OF LETTERS – DRIVEWAY – DAY

Castiel and Jack are walking up the Bunker’s driveway, a long road that is lined with trees on either side. (Note: similar to the driveway shown in 8.20 PAC-MAN FEVER where possible, but spaces in trees should show fields and open sky rather than industrial buildings.)

JACK

Dean isn’t going to be happy with us for leaving like that.

CASTIEL

(tired, but resolved)

I’ll speak to him. I didn’t realize that much time would pass here.

A beat, as he looks away from Jack. He sees something in front of them, and his step falters. Jack looks from Castiel to whatever he’s sighted.

REVERSE ANGLE to reveal Dean. Standing at the end of the driveway. Arms crossed.

On Castiel and Jack. Oh crap.

DEAN

Is that your excuse this time?

Castiel looks contrite. Dean keeps walking towards them as they talk--

CASTIEL

I’m sorry, Dean.

JACK

But it was important to fix Heaven. The foundations of the universe would have collapsed. 

DEAN

Oh, yeah, and you didn’t hang around and have a party while you were there or anything.

Castiel stares resolutely at the ground, as Dean finally comes to a stop in front of them. 

DEAN (CONT’D)

(to Jack, ignoring Castiel)

Look, you might be all-powerful now, or whatever, but we’re still your family. No matter what. So you better goddamn leave a note next time, or so help me-- I will find a way to ground your ass.

A beat, as we cut to Jack and Castiel looking taken aback. Then Dean steps forward and--

\--draws Jack into a tight hug.

CLOSE ON Jack’s face. Surprised-- then radiantly happy.

Off Castiel, looking on. Overwhelmed by this small act of paternal love and forgiveness.

Dean steps back with a clap of Jack’s back. Lips quirked with the hint of a smile.

DEAN (CONT’D)

Alright. Scram, kid, before I change my mind about first warnings.

Jack briefly looks back at Castiel with concern-- Dad’s in trouble!-- before doing as Dean says.

Mid shot of Dean and Cas, left alone in the driveway. A formidable silence hangs between them. The elephant in the room louder than ever.

DEAN (CONT’D)

(struggling to overcome the silence)

So...

CASTIEL

(interrupting immediately)

Jack’s not all-powerful anymore. He and Amara gave up their power to fix Heaven. 

DEAN

(thrown by this choice of topic)

Uh-- okay. So, what, you both human now or somethin’?

Castiel gives him a small smile.

CASTIEL

I am. Jack, I suppose, is something like an angel. He held on to my grace. I wanted him to. In case something goes wrong.

DEAN

Yeah, well. It always seems to.

He winces, remembering their previous argument. But Castiel doesn’t notice the negative association.

CASTIEL

Maybe. Or--

A beat, as Castiel looks off at the setting sun.

CASTIEL (CONT’D)

Maybe this time, finally-- things can be different. Maybe we can rest.

Dean is visibly struck by the sight of Castiel in the glowing light. AT PEACE. Dean swallows nervously. There’s a stretched silence between them, and then--

DEAN

Hey, uh. Cas.

Castiel flinches. He brings his eyes back to Dean, wary.

CASTIEL

Dean, you don’t have to--

DEAN 

(flustered)

No, please, just-- listen. When you-- when you let the Empty take you.

He pauses, and closes his eyes. Searching for the right words.

Off Castiel. Visibly terrified now he has to face the music.

CASTIEL

Dean--

DEAN

(newly determined)

No, Cas, shut up for a moment. Let me talk, because I have to-- Cas, you gotta know.

(a slight pause)

Well, I guess you don’t know, huh?

Castiel frowns, genuinely perplexed. Slight head tilt. Still the same Castiel Dean knows... and loves. 

CASTIEL

Dean?

Dean huffs out a nervous breath.

DEAN

I’m sorry I didn’t say anything before. I was bein’ a coward.

He breaks his gaze away from Castiel, and runs his hand through his hair nervously. Now he’s the one looking at the sunset, and Castiel is the one riveted by him.

After a moment, Dean seems to find the words.

DEAN (CONT’D)

My whole life, I’ve been following the same script. Look after Sam. Save the girl. Hunt whatever evil thing was in front of me. And that stuff-- I was good at it. I helped people. But it was always... always one thing after another. 

Dean is getting emotional now.

Castiel goes to reach to comfort Dean from behind... but then he falters and holds himself back. Uncertain of his place.

DEAN (CONT’D)

I was Dad’s soldier, and then I was Michael’s Sword, and right up until the end I was Chuck’s plaything. You know how screwed up I was over Chuck. I’ve never felt like I was in control of our lives-- of my life-- and now even my-- my thoughts, my feelings. Everything might have been screwed with by that Vonnegut wannabe.

Dean looks down. Ashamed.

DEAN (CONT’D)

(soft, apologetic)

I was so angry, Cas. I’m sorry. What I did to you-- to Jack. I was so desperate to be free of it. 

CASTIEL

(immediately)

You don’t have to apologize. I know you, Dean.

Dean recalls that Castiel does, indeed, know him. He turns back to Castiel with a tender smile.

DEAN

Yeah.

Now that Dean is looking at him again, Castiel is nervous-- but he doesn’t look away. He’s never really been able to look away from Dean.

DEAN (CONT’D)

(smile turning slightly teasing)

So. The thing is, you don’t know me as well as you think you do.

CASTIEL

(thinking Dean is being self-deprecating)

Dean-- you are every inch the man I think you are, and I meant every word of what I said.

Dean is thrown by this sincerity, and has to gather his thoughts again. He chuckles, trying to break the moment.

DEAN

No-- that’s not what I mean, man.

Then Dean sobers up, and rallies himself.

DEAN (CONT’D)

That’s not what I mean, Cas. There’re things you don’t know about me. Like, when you died-- every time you died. The Empty. When Jack was born. Hell, back when that whole, Leviathan thing happened. Maybe even when the Apocalypse was happening. I-- 

Dean breaks off, unable to express himself. 

CASTIEL

(trying to save Dean, as always)

You don’t have to say it, Dean. I know you don’t--

DEAN

(pissed off)

No, you don’t know! You don’t see me friggin’ lose it every night you’re gone-- because I can’t think straight, and it feels like there’s a knife in my chest, and the only thing that keeps me from losing it entirely is knowing I gotta keep going, and even then, sometimes I--

(quieter; a confession)

I got close to giving up.

CASTIEL

(alarmed)

Dean?

DEAN

And I never wanted to feel like this, because you’re always walkin’ out on us for some reason. Heaven always needs fixing. Even now.

CASTIEL

(confused, still unsure where this is leading)

All those times... you never asked me to stay. And I didn’t want to impose-- especially when-- the way I felt about you--

There’s a pause, as they both realize Castiel has spoken aloud the issue they’d so far managed to avoid addressing directly. 

DEAN

(defeated)

I asked you to stay, Cas. Just maybe not always with those words.

Dean looks away, upset, like maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. Whatever it is between them is so delicate it’s about to break. Then-- 

Castiel speaks, and his voice is infinitely tender with all the love he holds for the man next to him. 

CASTIEL

Dean.

And Dean realizes, in that moment, that what is between them isn’t delicate or breakable at all. He knows what he needs to say.

DEAN

Whenever I picture my life, Cas, I can’t picture it without you.

Castiel is already shell-shocked by this admission-- but Dean isn’t done.

DEAN (CONT’D)

(suddenly desperate to get this right)

No, more than that-- I don’t want to picture it without you. I get to choose what I want now, right? Who I want to be, free of Chuck, or my dad, or maybe even being a hunter. And when I get around to thinking about who I want to be with--

Dean takes a deep breath. He’s got one shot at this, and he doesn’t want to leave any room for interpretation. 

DEAN (CONT’D)

(shakily)

I think I’ve been in love with you for a long time, Cas. 

On Castiel-- eyes welling with tears. A small, disbelieving smile. He’s too shocked to form a reply. Then Dean brings it all down to a single question.

DEAN (CONT’D)

So-- stay with me?

Castiel nods, and tears begin to track down his cheek as he smiles-- no, LAUGHS-- shaking his head in disbelief. Dizzy with happiness. Entirely, overwhelmingly human. 

On Dean-- who doesn’t have anything to hide anymore. He looks at Castiel with absolute tenderness, and then REACHES out to Castiel’s face.

His right hand comes up to wipe away a tear, and then--

He leans in and--

Castiel’s eyes go wide, and the music swells as--

We FINALLY get a BIG DAMN KISS.

FADE TO BLACK.

FADE IN:

27

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – LIBRARY – DAY

OVER THE SHOULDER MID SHOT of JACK, standing at the far end of the room. Staring at the TELESCOPE in the alcove. In the background, we hear the other residents of the Bunker as muffled, faint dialogue.

SAM (O.C.)

Dean, if you want pancakes, you and Cas had better be here in the next five minutes or I will donate them to the trash can!

DEAN (O.C.)

Alright DEFCON, calm down!

MUSIC CUE: “[DEAN’S FAMILY DEDICATION THEME](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trhWnGja5To)” (ORCHESTRAL FINALE VER.) by JAY GRUSKA (volume soft to begin).

Slow zoom on Jack as he walks up the stairs of the raised platform to the TELESCOPE. Meanwhile, off-camera, we hear scuffling and muffled laughter-- sounds like both Eileen and Dean have found something extremely funny.

SAM (O.C.)

(scandalized)

Dean!

DEAN (O.C.)

What?

The dialogue fades out to indistinguishable background chatter as the music fades up.

Meanwhile, Jack touches the outer casing of the telescope reverently. He closes his eyes.

JACK 

I suppose it’s odd for me to pray. Most people pray to God, not the other way around.

As Jack talks, we get a short montage of OBJECTS in the Bunker.

28

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – DEAN’S ROOM – DAY

SLOW ZOOM on DEAN’S DESK.

CLOSE OVER THE DESK-- we see JOHN’S JOURNAL, around which are scattered [PHOTOGRAPHS](http://www.supernaturalwiki.com/Photo_Album). The camera focuses on specific ones during the sequence, but still leaves enough room to identify a lot of other media (newspaper cuttings, monster sketches, etc.) and miscellaneous items spread out around the journal. Photographs should include: an official black and white photo of the British Men of Letters members, inclusive of MICK DAVIES and ARTHUR KETCH; a GHOSTFACERS [postcard](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/supernatural/images/2/2d/GhostFacersGroup.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20120529221441); a [photograph](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/62/c2/67/62c2679884bd4afa6f837485cbd3273d.jpg) of BEN AND LISA BRAEDEN; and a [photograph](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/1e/8f/f5/1e8ff540fa577eca8dcf67abfb7e60d1.jpg) of YOUNGER SAM AND DEAN.

JACK (V.O.) (CONT’D)

I’m not God anymore, though. And sometimes, I wake up and I feel like I don’t deserve this. There are so many things I didn’t fix.

CLOSE ON THE [1983 DEAN-MARY PHOTOGRAPH](https://thewinchesterfamilybusiness.com/images/SeasonTwelve/12-02-Mamma-Mia/SPN_1750.jpg) with other Winchester family photos around it.

JACK (V.O.) (CONT’D) 

So many people whose lives I couldn’t restore.

PULL FOCUS ON BOBBY in [CAMP CHITAQUA PHOTOGRAPH](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/supernatural/images/1/10/CampChitaqua.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20160919100814). 

JACK (V.O.) (CONT’D)

It feels selfish to enjoy life, when so many others couldn’t.

New CLOSE ON a photograph of [DEAN AND CHARLIE](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/77/28/ff/7728ffbdfa887e7b5a9f1e09ad23106b.jpg) as costumed in 8.11 LARP AND THE REAL GIRL, and a shot of [KEVIN AND LINDA TRAN](http://www.supernaturalwiki.com/images/thumb/1/1c/Vlcsnap-2014-01-15-08h48m15s79.png/400px-Vlcsnap-2014-01-15-08h48m15s79.png) .

JACK (V.O.) (CONT’D) 

But Dean says he needs to work on being grateful, rather than guilty.

New CLOSE ON a photograph of [KELLY KLINE](https://healthyceleb.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Courtney-Ford-with-her-hair-and-makeup-done-as-seen-in-January-2016.jpg), smiling.

JACK (V.O.) (CONT’D) 

So I will be too.

29

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – LIBRARY – DAY

Back on Jack, talking to the TELESCOPE. A wistful smile on his face.

JACK (CONT’D)

In which case, I just wanted to say... thank you. For giving us this.

SAM (O.C.)

Jack! You coming?

Jack finally turns around, full trademark smile on his face.

JACK

Be right there!

BLACKOUT.

END OF ACT THREE

  


## 

  


ACT FOUR

30

EXT. ROCKY’S BAR – DRIVEWAY – TWILIGHT

WIDE SHOT of a green, sparsely forested area. It’s scenic, peaceful... and totally isolated. Nobody around for miles.

A dirt track leads up to a small hill, at the top of which is a NEW ROADHOUSE-STYLE BAR. Castiel’s TRUCK is parked at its entrance. The front awning is lit up by a neon sign declaring ‘ROCKY’S BAR’, and the porch is lined with glowing mosquito lamps. 

THE IMPALA drives up on the dirt road, gravel crunching under its tires. 

31

INT. IMPALA – OUTSIDE ROCKY’S BAR – TWILIGHT

Sam turns to Dean, amazed.

SAM

Holy crap. You built this? You built all of this?

DEAN

Well, Cas helped.

Sam gives Dean a BITCH FACE.

DEAN (CONT’D)

I mean, I consulted some builders. I wanted this place to stay standing, alright? But most of it really was just me and Cas.

SAM

Huh. You know, I never would have thought Cas would be the type.

DEAN

For what?

SAM

You know. Manual labor.

Dean smirks. Lascivious.

DEAN

That old trench coat is pretty deceptive. He’s uh, pretty built under all that taxman getup.

Sam casts Dean a glare.

SAM

Dean. Way too much information.

DEAN

Well, firstly, that’s discrimination. And secondly, Cas is really good at building things, as it turns out. Apparently spending eons watching us mud monkeys build mud huts was good for... something.

SAM

It never seemed to help his cooking.

DEAN

Hey! He’s getting better. Cooking’s a delicate art, alright?

Sam grins and shakes his head. Dean is insufferable, but in the best possible way.

32

EXT. ROCKY’S BAR – DRIVEWAY – TWILIGHT

The brothers get out of the Impala, and make their way towards the bar.

MID SHOT of Dean, practically bouncing up the steps of the front porch and throwing open the front door. 

On Sam-- huffing a half-amazed laugh, and following behind him. 

33

INT. ROCKY’S BAR – TWILIGHT

We see ROCKY’S BAR-- similar to how we saw it in Dean’s mind in 14.10 NIHILISM. However, there are some differences... A little less extravagant. A little more homely. More hunter paraphernalia hanging up on different walls. Empty shelves and half-open cardboard boxes. Things are clearly still being arranged and unpacked.

At the bar, CASTIEL is arranging bottles up on a shelf. He turns when he hears the Winchester brothers come in.

CASTIEL

You’re early.

DEAN

(grinning)

Sam was eager to see the place. I mean, we’ve been blue-ballin’ him for months.

SAM

You let Eileen come up here last week!

DEAN

She’s a VIP. 

He goes around the back of the bar, and taps Cas lightly on the shoulder.

DEAN (CONT’D)

I’ll take over, Cas. You take a seat.

CASTIEL

If you insist.

DEAN

Yeah, come on, it’s my place. I gotta be in charge of where the bottles go. 

SAM

Oh, so Cas helps you build the whole thing, but now it’s ‘your’ place? 

DEAN

Well, I ain’t gonna make him work the bar. He’s worse with alcohol than he is with food.

SAM

Wow.

DEAN

What? And pick a poison. We’ve got everything. Well, everything that’s worth having. Eileen helped Cas with a supply run a couple of days ago. 

Sam squints at the half-assembled shelf of goods.

SAM

Uh. I’ll have... a beer?

Dean stares at him. Incredulous.

DEAN

I spent like, three weeks learning how to make every cocktail imaginable, and you want a beer.

SAM

It’s a hunter’s bar, Dean. You’re gonna get a lot of people asking for beer.

Dean glares at him. But after a beat, he leans under the counter and gets a beer out from the fridge. Flicks it across the counter to Sam.

DEAN

Happy?

(to Castiel, almost threateningly)

You want a cocktail?

Castiel smiles. Fond. And now, openly allowed to be.

CASTIEL

If you insist.

Dean grumbles something unfavorable under his breath. Turns around to busy himself with the task.

Sam draws a barstool out for himself, and Castiel copies the action. Once Sam is sitting down, he takes a moment to fully appreciate the bar.

SAM

You know, you really did a bang-up job on this place. Looks too good to be a hunter’s barrelhouse.

DEAN

Aw, don’t say that. You’ll scare off my best customers.

SAM

It’s true! And honestly, I’m grateful. This place is what’s gonna help draw hunters to the Association HQ.

Dean turns back around, dumps an assortment of bottles on the counter, and starts pouring them into a mixer.

DEAN

I’m just your honey trap, huh? Butter ’em up, make ’em tipsy, then let you give them the Sam Winchester recruitment speech.

On Castiel. Idly drawing Enochian letters on the counter.

CASTIEL

A good strategist knows how best to win others to their cause.

DEAN

Oh, yeah? And Sam is a good strategist according to you, huh?

CASTIEL

(looking up at Dean, dead serious) 

I think Sam is an excellent leader, yes. He shows exceptional aptitude in the judgment of his people, his enemies, and his resources. To have united so much of the hunting community under a single banner is highly commendable work.

Sam blushes. Rubs the back of his head, flustered.

SAM

Uh, thanks.

Dean shakes his head, amused.

DEAN

High praise.

He starts shaking the cocktail mixer.

CASTIEL 

(raising his voice slightly) 

I once commanded armies. I think I am qualified to make such assessments.

Dean rolls his eyes, but grins as he finishes the mix. He digs out a whiskey tumbler from under the counter, and pours out the drink.

DEAN

Haven’t got any of the fancy glasses yet, or nothin’.

CASTIEL

I don’t think something fancy would make a difference to the drink.

DEAN

You’re supposed to have it in a--

CASTIEL

(firm)

Dean. You made me this drink. I will enjoy it. Thank you.

He takes a gulp of the concoction, and makes a face.

Sam laughs.

DEAN

Oh, come on. That’s good stuff!

CASTIEL

I think we need a finer review of what qualifies as ‘good stuff’. 

SAM

Wait, you tested cocktails for a week, and you still haven’t worked out what Cas likes?

Dean and Cas exchange a dark look. Clearly a recent battlefront.

CASTIEL

(huffily)

Dean insisted on trying a chili-based cocktail on the first day, and I lost the sensation of taste for a week and a half.

Sam breaks into laughter again, while Dean scowls.

DEAN

Oh, come on, it’s not my fault Cas can’t handle a little spice.

CASTIEL

(accusatory)

You refused to taste it yourself.

Sam looks between them as they argue, and smiles. Everything is finally okay.

DEAN

(dark muttering)

Well, one of us needed to be able to taste things.

CASTIEL

I think Sam will agree with me that two of us would have made for an infinitely preferable sample size.

Dean rolls his eyes and mouths ‘preferrable sample size’ mockingly.

SAM

(to Castiel)

So, is Jody’s lot making it back for the grand opening?

CASTIEL

Yes. Although Claire had to be persuaded.

(glaring at Dean)

Apparently the last time she talked to Dean, he rejected her wise advice in favor of rudeness.

Sam snorts, and raises his eyebrows at Dean. Barely restraining a wide smirk.

SAM

(to his brother)

Sounds like Dean.

Dean narrows his eyes, and gives Sam a thin, sarcastic smile.

SAM (CONT’D)

(back to Cas)

And Jack? He’ll be back on time?

CASTIEL

I hope so. Although Amara seems to confiscate his phone constantly. Says it’s a bad influence.

DEAN

Really? Couldn’t Jack, uh, you know. Stop her from doing that?

CASTIEL

I don’t think Jack likes using his grace unless he has to.

DEAN

Well, yeah, but. How else is he meant to contact us?

CASTIEL

He’s perfectly capable of cross-country flight if he needs. But I think he’s-- he’s enjoying just being a kid. A normal kid, on a normal road trip.

SAM

A road trip with the aunt he used to co-captain Godhood with, and the ex-Queen of Hell. 

CASTIEL

(sincere)

Exactly.

Dean gets out a bottle of beer for himself (hypocrite!) and drags a bar stool out from under his side of the counter. He sits down on it, unscrewing the beer bottle cap as he does.

DEAN

(a little wistful)

I really never thought we’d be here.

SAM

What, in a bar you own?

DEAN

I mean everything. The kid doing okay, the three of us doing okay-- all alive, somehow. Against the odds. And y’know. Happy.

Dean says the last word like he can’t quite believe it’s true, and yet-- for one of the first times in his life-- it really, sincerely is. 

SAM

(flippant)

We probably earned it, though. For all those times we saved the world, and everything. 

DEAN

(pensive)

Yeah. I s’pose.

He raises his beer bottle.

DEAN (CONT’D)

To Team Free Will?

SAM

To Team Free Will.

MID SHOT on TEAM FREE WILL-- toasting to their long journey.

FADE INTO:

34

EXT. ROCKY’S BAR – NIGHT

WIDE SHOT of DEAN AND SAM, sitting on the hood of the IMPALA. Staring up at the starry sky. Castiel’s truck has gone; he must have driven home at some point.

DEAN

I feel like I don’t deserve this.

SAM

What do you mean?

DEAN

We lived while everyone else died. You know, Mom, Bobby, Charlie, Kevin... all the people we lost. They deserved to be here.

SAM

We’ll see them again. And you know, Heaven sounds like it’s kinda just another Earth now. A second life, where people can... be free.

DEAN

An Earth free of taxes and death. I s’pose Cas always said Jack’d bring about Paradise.

SAM

(with a sharp exhale of amusement)

Yeah.

They’re silent for a moment, as they each take a drink from their respective beer bottles.

DEAN

What I said, back with Chuck. I meant it.

Sam looks at him. Open confusion.

DEAN (CONT’D)

That the reason I loved hunting so much is ’cos I got to do it with you.

Sam’s expression turns into FULL-ON PUPPY EYES. Dean looks away, scoffing.

SAM

(having a chick flick moment)

Dean.

DEAN

Aw, don’t look at me like that. I mean, huntin’ ain’t bad, either.

SAM

Yeah, but... you don’t need hunting for me to stick around. 

DEAN

Well, I know that. Now.

Another break in conversation, as both continue to drink. Dean finishes the rest of his bottle, and puts it aside.

DEAN (CONT’D)

You know, I’ve been thinking. We should have been the ones taking Jack cross-country.

SAM 

Rowena and Amara took him to Vancouver. It’s not like he’s doing the fifty states.

DEAN

Well, maybe we should do that. You know, me, you, Cas, Jack. Road trip. Not because of a case. Just to-- see the sights, y’know?

SAM

Yeah. Yeah, I’d like that.

DEAN

And we’re gonna splash out on motels, too. My back can’t take those lumpy mattresses anymore. 

Sam laughs. 

DEAN (CONT’D)

(grumpily)

I hate gettin’ old.

SAM

No, you don’t.

DEAN

No, well. I guess I don’t, huh? S’not so bad.

Dean gets a goofy smile on his face, and then ducks his head. Clearly thinking about Cas.

Sam shakes his head. Exasperated but amused. He tips back his beer bottle to scull the last of his drink.

SAM

Alright, Casanova. Let’s head home.

He hops off the hood of the Impala, while Dean glares at him.

DEAN

Quit callin’ me that.

Sam grins, full cheeky younger brother energy back. Dean sighs and hops off the hood too.

SAM

After all the innuendos you made about Eileen the past year? No way. I think I’m entitled.

They both walk around either side of the car and open the doors of the Impala.

DEAN

It’s an illness, Sam. Just wait until you have to deal with Cas’s music taste all the way back home.

35

INT. IMPALA – NIGHT 

Dean gets into the car. He reaches over into the backseat, and rifles through a BOX OF CASSETTE TAPES. Picks one out from the others.

CLOSE ON THE MIXTAPE-- “CAS’S TOP 13 80s HITS”.

Dean takes it out of the case and pushes it into the tape deck.

DEAN

You’re going to suffer. 

SAM

I’ll just put in a different tape, then.

DEAN

Sacred rules, Sam. Driver picks the music--

Sam rolls his eyes. 

DEAN/SAM

‘Shotgun shuts his cakehole’.

ON DEAN-- grinning widely.

DEAN

Damn straight.

He presses play on the tape deck, and we get the UNMISTAKABLE SOUND OF--

MUSIC CUE: “[HEAVEN IS A PLACE ON EARTH](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UocN_FLb3To)” by BELINDA CARLISLE

MUSIC (V.O.)

 _Ooh, baby, do you know what that’s worth?  
Ooh, Heaven is a place on Earth_

ON SAM, bursts into delighted laughter.

ON DEAN, grinning back at him. Not ashamed at all.

MUSIC (V.O.)

 _They say in Heaven, love comes first  
We’ll make Heaven a place on Earth  
Ooh, Heaven is a place on Earth_

Dean starts up the Impala engine, puts the car into gear... and starts driving.

36

EXT. ROCKY’S BAR – NIGHT

WIDE HIGH ANGLE shot that TILTS UP as the Impala drives towards the distance. Shot rests on the STARRY SKY as we hear a repeated instrumental outro for the song.

FADE TO BLACK.

END OF ACT FOUR

  


## 

  


ACT FIVE

37

INT. BECKY’S HOUSE – DAY

Becky is typing at a desk table on her LAPTOP. We don’t see her face due to the positioning of the screen. On her desk are the Supernatural merch items and other set dressing from 15.04 ATOMIC MONSTERS.

REVERSE to an over the shoulder shot. The camera zooms in slowly, but we still don’t see Becky’s face, or what’s on the screen.

BECKY’S KID (O.C.)

Mom? Are you done yet?

BECKY

(absently)

Coming!

CLOSE ON the edge of the laptop, as Becky closes it – but focus centered on the Supernatural FUNKO POP DOLLS, Sam and Dean. They wobble slightly from the impact of the laptop closing.

BECKY (V.O.)

What is a story, anyway?

We start a montage of different ‘where are they now’ shots as Becky narrates--

38

EXT. SOMEWHERE IN ITALY – DAY

A crowded, narrow city street. The old cobblestones and architecture imply a European setting.

BECKY (V.O.) (CONT’D)

Is a story real if we can feel it? Does a story have to be real in order to be true?

The camera pans across to reveal ADAM MILLIGAN. Sitting outside a café, and sketching in a notebook.

BECKY (V.O.) (CONT’D)

And is that truth in the author’s head, or in a reader’s heart?

We see the back of A TALL MAN, who brings two cups of coffee out of the café. He places them both down at the small table in front of Adam. We don’t see his face. 

BECKY (V.O.) (CONT’D)

Or... does truth itself live somewhere else entirely?

CLOSE ON ADAM, smiling at him. Affectionate. Familiar.

CUT TO:

39

EXT. ABANDONED HOUSE – NIGHT

Two hunters are FIGHTING a monster-- ALICIA BANES stabs it through the chest with a wooden spear before it can maul her brother, MAX BANES. 

BECKY (V.O.) (CONT’D)

Does a story bleed outside the lines?

MAX BANES looks up, grinning at her. Alicia PULLS HIM TO HIS FEET.

CUT TO:

40

INT. COMMUNITY CHURCH – NIGHT

In a church, where a bored ANAEL/SISTER JO is sorting money out in a cash box. She looks up as a shadow falls over her desk.

BECKY (V.O.) (CONT’D)

Does it live on more than just a page?

A DARK-HAIRED WOMAN, from the knife fight in the opening of 15.22 LET IT BLEED. The woman looks down at her. Smiling deviously. 

Anael sighs. Exasperated.

CUT TO:

41

INT. CRYPTS – NIGHT

Crowley and Rowena are arguing as they stand over a POT OF WITCHY POTIONS.

BECKY (V.O.) (CONT’D)

Does the ending of a story define its meaning?

Rowena rolls her eyes, and adds something that makes the whole concoction LIGHT UP--

CUT TO:

42

EXT. GRASSY HILLOCK – NIGHT

WIDE ON AMARA, who is looking up at the sky. Contemplative. 

BECKY (V.O.) (CONT’D)

Chuck always thought endings were hard.

The wind whips at her long hair and her pantsuit. But she is unmoving-- still ethereal, still indomitable. In spite of the power she lost. 

CUT TO:

43

INT. HEAVEN – HARVELLE’S ROADHOUSE – NIGHT

WIDE SHOT on Ash, Bobby, Ellen, Jo, Pamela and Rufus in Harvelle’s Roadhouse in Heaven.

BECKY (V.O.) (CONT’D)

But maybe sometimes? Sometimes endings can be easy.

MID SHOT closing in on Ellen, Bobby and Rufus-- Ellen says something snarky to Bobby, and Rufus laughs--

CUT TO:

44

INT. JOHN AND MARY’S HOUSE – NIGHT – FLASHBACK – 1983

On a much younger JOHN AND MARY WINCHESTER. Standing over a crib, looking down proudly at a young Sam. A toddler Dean is in Mary’s arms.

BECKY (V.O.) (CONT’D)

Supernatural started as a story about two brothers. 

CLOSE ON TODDLER DEAN in Mary’s arms, who peers down at Sam too.

45

INT. JODY’S HOUSE – NIGHT

MID SHOT of the WAYWARD DINING TABLE, with JODY MILLS, DONNA HANSCUM, CLAIRE NOVAK, ALEX JONES, PATIENCE TURNER and KAIA NIEVES eating dinner. Jody is at the head of the table, pointing a fork full of food at Patience, mid-lecture.

BECKY (V.O.) (CONT’D)

But as time went on, it took on a life of its own. 

Patience says something snarky back, and Kaia, Alex and Claire dissolve into poorly-concealed giggles.

46

INT. GARTH’S HOUSE – NIGHT

ON GARTH AND BESS FITZGERALD, waltzing in their family room.

BECKY (V.O.) (CONT’D)

Eventually, the story transcended what it was meant to be. 

Garth spins Bess around, and then tugs her closer to him, smiling.

47

EXT. HIGHWAY – SUNSET 

WIDE SHOT of a HIGHWAY. A DARK MOTORCYCLE zooms past.

BECKY (V.O.) (CONT’D)

The Winchesters rebelled against angels, demons, Destiny, and even the Word of God itself.

MID SHOT TRACKING THE RIDER. The black motorcycle helmet covers their face, but the ICONIC LONG LEATHER JACKET lets us know its BILLIE THE REAPER.

48

INT. GENTLEMEN’S CLUB BACK ROOM – NIGHT

CLOSE ON a SURVEILLANCE CAMERA, BLINKING RED from a dark and dingy corner.

BECKY (V.O.) (CONT’D)

And whether they succeeded in winning their free will? Well, who knows?

WIDE SHOT of GABRIEL, at the head of a table. Playing poker with KALI, ANUBIS, FORTUNA, ARTEMIS and ATROPOS.

49

INT. MEN OF LETTERS – LIBRARY/CROW’S NEST – DAY

Wide shot of the BUNKER LIBRARY. Eileen is giving instructions to CHARLIE (ALTERNATE) and STEVIE. All three are standing over the front end of the table.

BECKY (V.O.) (CONT’D)

But me? Well, I feel like I know the Winchesters.

MID SHOT of Eileen discussing tactics with the other two, pointing at places on the map.

BECKY (V.O.) (CONT’D)

And I’d say the Winchesters would have made the same choice they always have. 

BIRD’S EYE SHOT, CLOSE ON THE MAP-- which Eileen ROLLS UP and packs away. As she does, we reveal underneath the initials D.W., S.W. and M.W. that were carved into the table have been joined by the names JACK and CASTIEL.

BECKY (V.O.) (CONT’D)

They’d choose family.

FADE TO BLACK.

We hear the sound of seagulls and rushing ocean waves. Children playing in the distance. Typical beach sounds.

FADE IN:

50

EXT. BEACH – DAY

Slow zoom on the back of Dean, Sam, Cas and Jack in low-lying beach chairs. Toes in the sand. Nothing in front of them but the wide, endless ocean.

BLACKOUT.

THE END.

  


## 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who read this – and a very special thanks to the people who commented or messaged me about it and cheer-led me through to the end.
> 
> This script series was conceived as a way to write an ending for SPN that I could see them filming – what I thought worked best in the context of Season 15, and what I could more or less see them putting on air. Initially I was writing a completely different fix-it, but... I found I needed to work through the problems with the end more directly. This was a way to work all those loose-end feelings out of my system.
> 
> Some minor chapter notes and extras for anyone interested:
> 
> 15.19 – The title, ‘Turn the Page’ comes from this Bob Seger [song](https://genius.com/Metallica-turn-the-page-lyrics). In the context of the episode, it obviously refers to both turning over a new page for the alternate ending and so on, but also to the lyrics about being exhausted of performing and life on the road.
> 
> 15.20 – ‘Ramble On’, comes from the Led Zeppelin [song](https://genius.com/Led-zeppelin-ramble-on-lyrics), obviously a reference to Dean’s quest to save Castiel. I’m hardly the first to make that connection, but it’s also far too good to pass up.
> 
> 15.21 – ‘[Death of the Author](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DeathOfTheAuthor)’ is a very self-explanatory title.
> 
> 15.22 – For this title, I thought about using ‘End in Blood’ (referring to, of course, the famous found family line from the show). But I didn’t think that made as much sense out of context as ‘In the Blood’, a slightly more subtle reference to the same idea. Mostly refers to the idea of something running in the family, or ‘in the blood’. Also happens to be the title of this John Mayer [song](https://genius.com/John-mayer-in-the-blood-lyrics).
> 
> 15.23 – The title ‘Heaven and Earth’ is a reference to the [idiom](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/move-heaven-and-earth), and also refers to the two main settings of the episode... and Dean and Castiel. Meant to parallel the title of 4.10 ‘Heaven and Hell’ (the one where Anna chooses to become an angel again.) And finally, adjacent to the lyrics of ‘Heaven is a place on Earth’, of course. I know I put too many callbacks and photographs in this one, but honestly, I'm a sucker for sentimentality (if you couldn’t tell!). I console myself with the fact that Becky wrote this episode, so saccharine fanservice is fair game. The Becky speeches were inspired by Swan Song and Meta Fiction, yes, but also by Jack Rackham’s speech in Black Sails’ excellent finale.
> 
> The motif of '80s music was meant to symbolise Dean’s transition into accepting he likes things that might not fit his traditional image or what he's supposed to like. If you’re interested, I have made a spotify playlist for [Cas and Dean’s Top 80s Traxx](https://aethylas.tumblr.com/post/641306926257422336/cas-and-deans-top-80s-traxx-an), although I don’t think these would be all the same songs Cas would put on his mixtape. These are songs that I thought were appropriate to their relationship, rather than songs they would like most (which is a different playlist again!)
> 
> Thank you again for reading, and for sticking through to the end! I’m also on tumblr under this [name](https://aethylas.tumblr.com), although I’m more commonly over at [thylaa](https://thylaa.tumblr.com).


End file.
